


Of Blood and Moons

by SupernaturalCuddlePuddle (DawnMasonCullen)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Alpha Derek, Alpha Pack is Dead, Alpha Peter Hale, Alpha Scott McCall, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Artistic Liberties, BAMF Stiles, Creeper Peter, Dead Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, Derek Has Issues, Evil Peter, Hurt Stiles, Jealous Derek, Jealous Peter, Kanima Jackson Whittemore, M/M, Magic!Stiles, Peter Has Issues, Post Season 3, Puppy Isaac, Stiles has abandonment issues, The mystery of Cora, Well he has issues in general, Wolf Derek, mostly - Freeform, scisaac if you squint, season 4 canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-06 08:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnMasonCullen/pseuds/SupernaturalCuddlePuddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is Peters lover until Peter rejects Stiles in front of the Pack. Hurt, Stiles leaves and runs into Issac who invites Stiles to be a part of the Hale pack. Everything is great until Derek realizes that Peter is alive and much too close to Hale territory for comfort. Even worse, Peter is pissed to have lost Stiles and will do anything to get him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hale Pack

Stiles gulped and braced himself as he entered Peter’s study. Peter looked up from his laptop and smiled as Stiles shut the heavy oak door behind him.

“Stiles? I’m working, was there something you needed?” Peter asked.

“I don’t mean to bother. I can come back…” Stiles trailed off, unsure.

“No, I have a moment. Come, tell me what you need.” Peter motioned for Stiles to sit in one of his two plush office chairs.

As Stiles sank into the cushions of the antique chair, he scratched the back of his buzzed hair and looked around the room. Peter’s heavy oak desk was covered in papers and books. The room was small but elegant and the walls, when not covered in floor to ceiling bookcases, were covered in expensive blue silk wallpaper. Heavy drapes covered the window behind the desk and backlit Peters smile as he waited to hear his lover’s question.

“I, um, well I was wondering if I could maybe…” Stiles stumbled over his words, worried about Peter’s reaction. “I could get a job.”

Peter stiffened and narrowed his eyes. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his office chair.

“A job? What do you need with a job, Stiles? Your place is in the pack. I provide you with everything you could possibly need or want. You will not be getting a job.” Peter scoffed.

“But, why?” Stiles pled. “I’m eighteen years old, Peter. I can’t help but feel like all I do is take. I don’t contribute anything to this pack! One day I will have to take some responsibility for this pack. How can having a job hurt? I have nothing else to do. I’m out of high school and you don’t want me to leave for college. I know the pack doesn’t need the money. I just want to… I’m going to be…”

Stiles looked at his feet as he lost steam, seeming to accept that he would not be getting his way. Peter stood up from his chair and walked to where Stiles was carefully examining his fingers. He took Stiles chin and forced the boy to look at him.

“You are going to be what?” Peter coaxed.

“I-I’m yours, and being yours means that I have a responsibility to this pack. One day I’m going to have to deal with that responsibility and there is no way that is going to happen if I don’t have any experience being in the real world. I just want-”

A knock sounded from the door, cutting stiles off. Peter looked at Stiles intently for a moment before he straightened and said, “Come!”.

The door opened to Carl and three of Peter’s other betas. “Alpha, the emissary for the Hale pack is here. He says he was expected?”

“Yes, thank you. The three of you can wait in the study and I will be there in a moment.” Peter turned to Stiles, “You have heard my decision, Stiles. I don’t want to hear about it again.” He turned to leave, but Stiles grabbed his hand.

“Please Peter? I just want to be worthy of being your mate. I don’t want to disappoint you.” He pleaded.

“You are not my anything, Stiles! You are nothing! And you will NOT be getting a job. Return to our room. I don’t want to hear about this anymore.” Peter hissed.

Stiles went pale and stood from the chair. “Yes Alpha”, He whispered and left the room, passing the wide-eyed betas standing just inside the doorway. Peter frowned and watched him go, then shook his head and turned to the betas.

“What?” He asked, noticing the haunted looks they all shared.

“We don’t mean to question your decisions Alpha, but do you know what you just did?” James, one of the other betas, asked.

“By not letting the boy get a job? It is my decision. What business is it of yours?” Peter glared at the trio.

“No, while we believe that it would cause no harm for you to allow the boy to take on some responsibility, I believe James was referring to your declaration that the boy was not yours. I am well aware that you intend to mark the boy as your mate when he is ready and that you have not done so already for the boys benefit, but your proclamation that the boy is ‘not your anything’ did more than just hurt the boy’s feelings.” Carl said.

“Stiles and I,” Paul the third beta jumped in, “have been studying pack law. Your disownment of the boy in front of witnesses in the pack reduces his rank. Before, Stiles was the unofficial second of this pack. Now, instead of reducing him to a normal beta like it would have had he been a wolf. Stiles, being an underage human and new to the pack as he is, is now… the omega.”

“What? That wasn’t my intention. I was just trying to keep him from bringing this topic up again. You know how the boy is, he could argue his way out of Alcatraz.” Peter defended.

“Be that as it may, Stiles knows what the unintentional effects are. As far as he is concerned, you just told him he is a useless waste who is worth nothing to this pack. With all due respect, I would suggest that if you don’t wish the boy to stay in this position, you either formally make him your second, or mate him. I would do it soon. The pack will scent the change in his status. The longer you wait the more he will smell of omega. Either way, he seemed a bit hurt. It’s none of our business of course,” he gestured to James and Curt. “But it kinda sucks to see the kid sad. Anyway, we will be waiting for you in the study.”

The three betas left and Peter went in search of Stiles, intent on taking the boy before the entire pack and proclaiming him the second to the alpha. He ran into Sarah, James’ mate, after searching nearly the whole mansion.

“Have you seen Stiles?”

“Yeah, he left around thirty minutes ago. Looked kinka down. Said he had a present to buy for ‘the Alpha’. He smelled strange. Have you been scent marking him properly? It was almost as if…” She trailed off.

“Thank you. Find me in my office when he gets back. We’re having a pack meeting tonight. Mandatory.” Peter didn’t wait for a response before stalking up the stairs and slamming the heavy door to his office.

Stiles gulped and braced himself as he entered Peter’s study. Peter looked up from his laptop and smiled as Stiles shut the heavy oak door behind him.

“Stiles? I’m working, was there something you needed?” Peter asked.

“I don’t mean to bother. I can come back…” Stiles trailed off, unsure.

“No, I have a moment. Come, tell me what you needed.” Peter motioned for stiles to sit in one of his two plush office chairs.

As stiles sank into the cushions of the antique chair, he scratched the back of his buzzed hair and looked around the room. Peter’s large stained oak desk was covered in papers and books. The room was small but elegant and the walls, when not covered in floor to ceiling bookcases, were covered in expensive blue silk wallpaper. Heavy drapes covered the window behind the desk and backlit Peters smile as he waited to hear his lover’s question.

“I, um, well I was wondering if I could maybe…” Stiles stumbled over his words, worried about Peter’s reaction. “I want to get a job.”

Peter stiffened and narrowed his eyes. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his office chair.

“A job? What do you need with a job, Stiles? Your place is in the pack. I provide you with everything you could possibly need or want. You will not be getting a job.” Peter scoffed.

“But, why?” Stiles pled. “I’m eighteen years old, Peter. I can’t help but feel like all I do is take. I don’t contribute anything to this pack! One day I will have to take some responsibility for this pack. How can having a job hurt? I have nothing else to do. I’m out of high school and you don’t want me to leave for college. I know the pack doesn’t need the money. I just want to… I’m going to be…”

Stiles looked at his feet as he lost steam, seeming to accept that he would not be getting his way. Peter stood up from his chair and walked to where Stiles was carefully examining his fingers. He took stiles chin and forced the boy to look at him.

“You are going to be what?” Peter coaxed.

“I-I’m yours, and being yours means that I have a responsibility to this pack. One day I’m going to have to deal with that responsibility and there is no way that is going to happen if I don’t have any experience being in the real world. I just want-”

A knock sounded from the door, cutting stiles off. Peter looked at Stiles intently for a moment before he straightened and said, “Come!”

The door opened to Carl and three of Peter’s other betas. “Alpha, the emissary for the Hale pack is here. He says he was expected?”

“Yes, thank you. The three of you can wait in the study and I will be there in a moment.” Peter turned to Stiles, “You have heard my decision, Stiles. I don’t want to hear about it again.” He turned to leave, but Stiles grabbed his hand.

“Please Peter? I just want to be worthy of being your mate. I don’t want to disappoint you.” He pleaded.

“You are not my anything, Stiles! You are nothing! And you will NOT be getting a job. Return to our room. I don’t want to hear about this anymore.” Peter hissed.

Stiles went pale and stood from the chair. “Yes Alpha”, He whispered and left the room, passing the wide-eyed betas standing just inside the doorway. Peter frowned and watched him go, then shook his head and turned to the betas.

“What?” He asked, noticing the haunted looks they all shared.

“We don’t mean to question your decisions Alpha, but do you know what you just did?” James, one of the other betas, asked.

“By not letting the boy get a job? It is my decision. What business is it of yours?” Peter glared at the trio.

“No, while we believe that it would cause no harm for you to allow the boy to take on some responsibility, I believe James was referring to your declaration that the boy was not yours. I am well aware that you intend to mark Stiles as your mate when he is ready and that you have not done so already for the boys benefit, but your proclamation that he is ‘not your anything’ did more than just hurt his feelings.” Carl said.

“Stiles and I,” Paul the third beta jumped in, “have been studying pack law. Your disownment of him in front of witnesses in the pack reduces his rank. Before, Stiles was the unofficial second of this pack. Now, instead of reducing him to a normal beta like it would have had he been a wolf. Stiles, being an underage human and new to the pack as he is, is now… the omega.”

“What? That wasn’t my intention. I was just trying to keep him from bringing this topic up again. You know how he is. He could argue his way out of Alcatraz.” Peter defended.

“Be that as it may, Stiles knows what the unintentional effects are. As far as he is concerned, you just told him he is a useless waste who is worth nothing to this pack. With all due respect, I would suggest that if you don’t wish the boy to stay in this position, you either formally make him your second, or mate him, and soon. The pack will scent the change in his status. The longer you wait the more he will smell of omega. Either way, he seemed a bit hurt. It’s none of our business of course,” he gestured to James and Curt. “But it kinda sucks to see the kid sad. Anyway, we will be waiting for you in the study.”

The three betas left and Peter went in search of Stiles, intent on taking the boy before the entire pack and proclaiming him the second to the alpha. He ran into Sarah, James’ mate after searching nearly the whole mansion.

“Have you seen Stiles?”

“Yeah, he left around thirty minutes ago. Looked kinka down. Said he had a present to buy for ‘the Alpha’. He smelled strange. Have you been scent marking him properly? It was almost as if…” She trailed off.

“Thank you. Find me in my office when he gets back. We’re having a pack meeting tonight. Mandatory.” Peter didn’t wait for a response before stalking up the stairs and slamming the heavy door to his office.

 

Stiles got out of his jeep and walked into the only pawnshop in Capol County, California. It was in a strip mall in downtown Beacon Hills, a small town about forty minutes from the Hale mansion and the Deacon pack that Peter had recently become the alpha of. A tiny bell jingled merrily as stiles walked into the little shop. The inside was brightly lit with a U shaped counter that separated customers from merchandise that lined the walls. A pale boy stood behind the counter with shiny blue eyes and a mop of curly blond hair. The boy, who had to be about Stiles age, beamed as the door closed and Stiles stepped up to the counter.

“Hi! Welcome to ‘Hale of a Pawn Shop’! I’m Isaac. Can I help you with something?”

“Um, Hi. I’m Stiles. I have this bracelet. It was my mom’s before she died. I kinda need some money to get a present for someone I like, so I guess I should sell it.” Stiles clutched the bracelet tightly before slowly placing it on the glass countertop.

“Wow, your mom’s huh? Are you sure you want to sell it? Maybe you should just pawn it so you can get up the money to get it back later?” Isaac suggested as he picked the bracelet up off of the counter and examined it. It was beautiful. The band was silver with a large ruby in the center of the cuff and a string of tiny sapphires in both blue and yellow trailing out in spirals from each side. “Huh, red blue and yellow stones. Silver cuff. Spirals.” Why Isaac thought that was amusing, Stiles was unsure, but the amused glint in his eyes only made the boy more likeable.

Stiles pondered the thought of pawning the bracelet but remembered his conversation with Peter earlier. “Nah. I’m not allowed to get a job so I couldn’t make the payments. Thanks, though.” Stiles shrugged.

Isaac gave a rueful smile. “Yeah I guess you wouldn’t be allowed to. Being an omega sucks, huh?”

Stiles stiffened and stared at Isaac with wide eyes. “What?”

“Yeah, Um… I’m a werewolf. It’s cool, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I just kinda felt like you should know with me being able to scent you and you being human. I’m not big on unfair advantages.” Isaac took a jeweler’s visor from behind the counter and examined the stones on the bracelet.

Stiles relaxed a little. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet a werewolf that isn’t plotting power plays and blackmail.”

“So who is this present for, anyway?” Stiles asked.

“The _Alpha_ ” Stiles couldn’t help the hint of derision in his voice. He had been with Peter since he was sixteen. It hurt to realize that Peter thought so little of their relationship. Stiles had turned eighteen two weeks ago and had been waiting for Peter to approach him about mating. It seemed like that would never happen now.

“Woah. What happened?”

Stiles gave Isaac a rundown of his morning in clipped angry words.

“Huh. Well, this may be a bit premature seeing as how we just met twenty minutes ago, but you are more than welcome to join our pack. We need a Second, so it’s not like you would be trading one hell for another.” Isaac offered. “Not that we treat our Omega like shit or anything. Lydia would murder us all. And get away with it.”

Stiles eyes widened and he jumped as another customer entered the store and began quietly perusing the walls on the other end of the shop, ignoring them both. “I’m not sure…” He hesitated.

“Come on! It would be great! Were a small pack so you won’t have much responsibility or anything and all you would have to do is put up with Derek and his ‘grr I’m the alpha and I talk with my eyebrows’ face. He’s harmless though, I swear.”

Stiles smiled and considered it. He had just talked himself into it (cuz anything’s better than being an omega who is just used by his alpha for sex, right?) when something seemed to occur to Isaac.

“Oh! And it’s not like our last Second was murdered or anything. Turns out Scott is ‘A True Alpha’ and he came into his eyes. It was very dramatic. And since Scott can’t stay Derek’s second as an Alpha without the two of them getting mated, ew by the way, he is just a lone alpha who shares Derek’s territory. And he attends all of the pack meetings, of course. The rule is if Scott approves and Derek accepts you as pack, which he will no matter how much he complains, then your position is solid.”

Stiles takes another minute to consider the offer then says, “So where do I sign up?”

Isaac grins widely and pulls out his cellphone but suddenly remembers the bracelet in his hands. He hands it carefully back to Stiles and says, “Derek’s birthday was two months ago, so you won’t have to get him anything and he won’t have a problem with you getting a job anyway. I guess that means you don’t have to sell this.”

Stiles eyes go a little foggy for a second before he swallows, nods, and clips the cuff onto his wrist, resolved to wear it from now on. He hated to think that he had almost sold the precious piece for a man he now detested. He watched as Isaac called someone on his phone.

“Scott! Hey, man! I found a replacement second for you. What? No, a human. His name is Stiles. Just walked into the shop. Oh? Sure, see you in five.” He hung up the phone and looked up at Stiles and he tucked the phone back into his pocket. “He will be here in a minute. He was already on his way when I called.

They chatted for a while until someone opened the shop door, the other customer having left unnoticed sometime earlier. The man who walked in was muscular. He had floppy brown hair and a slightly uneven jawline. His brown eyes locked on Stiles where he stood across from Isaac at the counter. Stiles swallowed audibly as Scott walked over without a word and scented Stiles, violating his personal space without comment. He pulled back after a moment and said, “Why are you leaving your pack behind, Omega?”

Stiles winced at the new title and retold his story about the morning’s public rejection and denouncement. Scott gave him a sympathetic frown before nodding.

“I approve. I was worried when you picked a human, but if Stiles has been with wolves for such a long time, he should be well suited to the position. All I have to do is introduce him to Derek.” Scott said to Isaac, who frowned.

“There’s something we need to do first.” Isaac stepped around the counter and went up to Stiles, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Stiles’ neck. Stiles stood motionless as both Isaac and Scott scent marked him. When they were done, they paused and sniffed him thoroughly before nodding.

“It would have been awkward to introduce you if you smelled like some other pack. The scent is still there, but it’s not quite as obvious as it was before. You and Scott should get going. I have to stay here and man the shop, so call me and tell me how it goes.” Isaac gives a small wave and returns to his position behind the counter. Stiles follows Scott outside where Scott gets on a dirt bike. Stiles dives behind him carefully until they come to a large two story house only marginally smaller than Peter’s mansion.

Scott led Stiles up the front steps and into the house. He lifted his head and said, only slightly louder than normal, “Pack meeting in the living room, guys!”

Stiles was unsurprised when people started to come down the stairs and from the other doorways. Scott led him into the living room. A large flat screen TV and gaming system, mounted above a cheerily crackling fireplace and mantle, was bracketed on one side by an overstuffed chair and the other by a loveseat of creamy brown leather. A long couch sat between the two in front of a shiny chrome and glass coffee table. People began to file into the room and take up positions on the seemingly comfortable array of furniture while Stiles stood awkwardly next to Scott and tried to ignore the stares he was receiving.

The first to speak was a rather attractive but pissy looking blond who sat alone in the overstuffed chair.

“What is this about McCall? I have a date to get to.” The blond sneered and crossed his arms impatiently. Stiles assumed this was his normal behavior from the fact that no one in the room reacted to the outburst.

Scott, who refused to rise to the bait, said to the room in general, “I have come today to submit to the alpha the person I have chosen to replace me as pack Second.” This statement made Stiles the unwilling recipient of even more intense stares from the people around the room. From the couch, sat a strawberry blonde and a slightly uneasy looking guy holding the hand of a dark haired boy who sat between beside him. From the girl came, “Him? We don’t even know him. He’s human isn’t he? Why should we accept someone we don’t trust into our pack? Let alone into a position of power?” The girl who had spoken raked Stiles with a critical eye. He got the impression that she could murder him in town square with dozens of witnesses and get away with it. He shivered.

“Isaac trusts him.”, Was all Scott said in his defense. It seemed to be enough though, because her expression eased a bit. “He is an Omega from another pack. Recently, he was the unofficial pack second. He was reduced to Omega this morning because his alpha publicly rejected his claim on Stiles in front of several members of the pack.”

One of the pack members winced. Stiles wasn’t sure why his omega status would endear him to the guy. The rest of the pack seemed sympathetic.

The black haired boy smiled at him. He seemed uncaring of Stiles origins or rank.

A dark haired man in a leather jacket sat on the loveseat alone. He regarded Stiles silently with piercing Hazel/Green eyes. He made no move to contribute to the conversation, letting them hash Stiles’ presence out on their own.

“Stiles agreed to join our pack to escape his alpha. I support him. All I need is the pack’s acceptance.” Scott waited for the reaction of the room.

“I think I can speak for the four of us when I say we are willing to give him a shot.” The strawberry blonde said from the couch, gesturing to its occupants.

“I don’t much care for the thought of letting some strange human boss me around. So don’t fucking think because I agree to this it means that you can boss me around. It doesn’t. So, whatever. Do what you want.” The blond griped from his chair.

The silent man on the loveseat only looked him up and down once more before nodding.

Scott smiled widely and said, “Great, so Stiles, these guys are Jackson, Lydia, Ethan, Danny, and Derek.” Stiles eyes locked with Derek’s for a fraction of a second before the alpha was out of his seat. Scott had gone and sat in a previously unnoticed recliner of worn blue cloth that had been shoved between the couch and Jackson’s chair. He was sitting and had begun a conversation with Lydia.

Derek walked closer and thrust out his and to grasp Stiles’. They shook and, without releasing him, Derek took another step and entered Stiles’ personal space. “We will all need to scent you for you to officially be a member of the pack.” Derek leaned into his neck and began to rub his stubble against Stiles’ exposed throat. He had just finished and was moving to the other side when he inhaled, long and deep. Derek froze and scented the air again. Jerking back from Stiles, Derek took him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall beside the fireplace and TV. He hit the wall so hard the picture frames and clock on the mantle rattled from the impact.

Derek roared into Stiles face and yelled, “Who is your alpha?”

Stiles, to his credit, didn’t even flinch at the rough treatment. “I was under the impression that it was you.” Stiles said calmly, ignoring the snort of laughter from Scott’s corner of the room.

“From what pack are you running?” Derek asked, annoyed but no longer yelling.

“The Deacon Pack.” Stiles answered.

“And the alpha?”

“His name is Peter.”

“His last name?!” Derek demanded.

“I don’t know. He said that he removed himself from his family. I don’t think he ever took another surname. It wasn’t a subject one was permitted to talk about.”

“What did he look like?”

“Older than you. Thirty-five? It’s hard to tell with werewolves. Brown hair, graying a little? Muscles? He has grey eyes.”

Derek roared into Stiles’ face again. His hands moved to Stiles’ throat. He struggled, but there was little he could do against the sheer strength of the alpha before him.

His world went dark.

Stiles got out of his jeep and walked into the only pawnshop in Capol County, California. It was in a strip mall in downtown Beacon Hills, a small town about forty minutes from the pack house and the Deacon pack that Peter had recently become the alpha of. A tiny bell jingled merrily as stiles walked into the little shop. The inside was brightly lit with a U shaped counter that separated customers from merchandise that lined the walls. A pale boy stood behind the counter with shiny blue eyes and a mop of curly blond hair. The boy, who had to be about Stiles age, beamed as the door closed and Stiles stepped up to the counter.

“Hi! Welcome to ‘Hale of a Pawn Shop’! I’m Isaac. Can I help you with something?”

“Um, Hi. I’m Stiles. I have this bracelet. It was my mom’s before she died. I kinda need some money to get a present for someone I like, so I guess I should sell it.” Stiles clutched the bracelet tightly before slowly placing it on the glass countertop.

“Wow, your mom’s huh? Are you sure you want to sell it? Maybe you should just pawn it so you can get up the money to get it back later?” Isaac suggested as he picked the bracelet up off of the counter and examined it. It was beautiful. The band was silver with a large ruby in the center of the cuff and a string of tiny sapphires in both blue and yellow trailing our in spirals from each side. “Huh, red blue and yellow stones. Silver cuff. Spirals.” Why Isaac thought that was amusing, Stiles was unsure, but the amused glint in his eyes only made the boy more likeable.

Stiles pondered the thought of pawning the bracelet but remembered his conversation with Peter earlier. “Nah. I’m not allowed to get a job so I couldn’t make the payments. Thanks, though.” Stiles shrugged.

Isaac gave a rueful smile. “Yeah I guess you wouldn’t be allowed to. Being an omega sucks, huh?”

Stiles stiffened and stared at Isaac with wide eyes. “What?”

“Yeah, Um… I’m a werewolf. It’s cool, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I just kinda felt like you should know with me being able to scent you and you being human. I’m not big on unfair advantages.” Isaac took a jeweler’s visor from behind the counter and examined the stones on the bracelet.

Stiles relaxed a little. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet a werewolf that isn’t plotting power plays and blackmail.”

“So who is this present for, anyway?” Stiles asked.

“The _Alpha_ ” Stiles couldn’t help the hint of derision in his voice. He had been with Peter since he was sixteen. It hurt to realize that Peter thought so little of their relationship. Stiles had turned eighteen two weeks ago and had been waiting for Peter to approach him about mating. It seemed like that would never happen now.

“Woah. What happened?”

Stiles gave Isaac a rundown of his morning in clipped angry words.

“Huh. Well, this may be a bit premature seeing as how we just met twenty minutes ago, but you are more than welcome to join our pack. We need a Second, so it’s not like you would be trading one hell for another.” Isaac offered. “Not that we treat our Omega like shit or anything. Lydia would murder us all. And get away with it.”

Stiles eyes widened and he jumped as another customer entered the store and began quietly perusing the walls on the other end of the shop, ignoring them both. “I’m not sure…” He hesitated.

“Come on! It would be great! Were a small pack so you won’t have much responsibility or anything and all you would have to do is put up with Derek and his ‘grr I’m the alpha and I talk with my eyebrows’ face. He’s harmless though, I swear.”

Stiles smiled and considered it. He had just talked himself into it (cuz anything’s better than being an omega who is just used by his alpha for sex, right?) when something seemed to occur to Isaac.

“Oh! And it’s not like our last Second was murdered or anything. Turns out Scott is ‘A True Alpha’ and he came into his eyes. It was very dramatic. And since Scott can’t stay Derek’s second as an Alpha without the two of them getting mated, ew by the way, he is just a lone alpha who shares Derek’s territory. And he attends all of the pack meetings, of course. The rule is if Scott approves and Derek accepts you as pack, which he will no matter how much he complains, then your position is solid.”

Stiles takes another minute to consider the offer then says, “So where do I sign up?”

Isaac grins widely and pulls out his cellphone but suddenly remembers the bracelet in his hands. He hands it carefully back to Stiles and says, “Derek’s birthday was two months ago, so you won’t have to get him anything and he won’t have a problem with you getting a job anyway. I guess that means you don’t have to sell this.”

Stiles eyes go a little foggy for a second before he swallows, nods, and clips the cuff onto his wrist, resolved to wear it from now on. He hated to think that he had almost sold the precious piece for a man he now detested. He watched as Isaac called someone on his phone.

“Scott! Hey, man! I found a replacement second for you. What? No, a human. His name is Stiles. Just walked into the shop. Oh? Sure, see you in five.” He hung up the phone and looked up at Stiles and he tucked the phone back into his pocket. “He will be here in a minute. He was already on his way when I called.

They chatted for a while until someone opened the shop door, the other customer having left unnoticed sometime earlier. The man who walked in was muscular. He had floppy brown hair and a slightly uneven jawline. His brown eyes locked on Stiles where he stood across from Isaac at the counter. Stiles swallowed audibly as Scott walked over without a word and scented Stiles, violating his personal space without comment. He pulled back after a moment and said, “Why are you leaving your pack behind, Omega?”

Stiles winced at the new title and retold his story about the morning’s public rejection and denouncement. Scott gave him a sympathetic frown before nodding.

“I approve. I was worried when you picked a human, but if Stiles has been with wolves for such a long time, he should be well suited to the position. All I have to do is introduce him to Derek.” Scott said to Isaac, who frowned.

“There’s something we need to do first.” Isaac stepped around the counter and went up to Stiles, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Stiles’ neck. Stiles stood motionless as both Isaac and Scott scent marked him. When they were done, they paused and sniffed him thoroughly before nodding.

“It would have been awkward to introduce you if you smelled like some other pack. The scent is still there, but it’s not quite as obvious as it was before. You and Scott should get going. I have to stay here and man the shop, so call me and tell me how it goes.” Isaac gives a small wave and returns to his position behind the counter. Stiles follows Scott outside where Scott gets on a dirt bike. Stiles drives behind him carefully until they come to a large two story house only marginally smaller than Peter’s mansion.

Scott led Stiles up the front steps and into the house. He lifted his head and said, only slightly louder than normal, “Pack meeting in the living room, guys!”

Stiles was unsurprised when people started to come down the stairs and from the other doorways. Scott led him into the living room. A large flat screen TV and gaming system, mounted above a cheerily crackling fireplace and mantle, was bracketed on one side by an overstuffed chair and the other by a loveseat of creamy brown leather. A long couch sat between the two in front of a shiny chrome and glass coffee table. People began to file into the room and take up positions on the seemingly comfortable array of furniture while Stiles stood awkwardly next to Scott and tried to ignore the stares he was receiving.

The first to speak was a rather attractive but pissy looking blond who sat alone in the overstuffed chair.

“What is this about McCall? I have a date to get to.” The blond sneered and crossed his arms impatiently. Stiles assumed this was his normal behavior from the fact that no one in the room reacted to the outburst.

Scott, who refused to rise to the bait, said to the room in general, “I have come today to submit to the alpha the person I have chosen to replace me as pack Second.” This statement made Stiles the unwilling recipient of even more intense stares from the people around the room. From the couch, where a pair of twins sat one with a strawberry blonde in his lap and the other holding the hand of a dark haired boy who sat between the twins, came, “Him? We don’t even know him. He’s human isn’t he? Why should we accept someone we don’t trust into our pack? Let alone into a position of power?” The girl who had spoken raked Stiles with a critical eye. He got the impression that she could murder him in town square with dozens of witnesses and get away with it. He shivered. She was obviously the omega Isaac had mentioned earlier.

“Isaac trusts him.”, Was all Scott said in his defense. It seemed to be enough though, because her expression eased a bit. “He is an Omega from another pack. Recently, he was the unofficial pack second. He was reduced to Omega this morning because his alpha publicly rejected his claim on Stiles in front of several members of the pack.”

The twins winced simultaneously. Stiles wasn’t sure why his omega status would endear him to the pair. The black haired boy smiled at him. He seemed uncaring of Stiles origins or rank.

A dark haired man in a leather jacket sat on the loveseat alone. He regarded Stiles silently with piercing Hazel/Green eyes. He made no move to contribute to the conversation, letting them hash Stiles’ presence out on their own.

“Stiles agreed to join our pack to escape his alpha. I support him. All I need is the pack’s acceptance.” Scott waited for the reaction of the room.

“I think I can speak for the four of us when I say we are willing to give him a shot.” The strawberry blonde said from the couch, gesturing to its occupants.

“I don’t much care for the thought of letting some strange human boss me around. So don’t fucking think because I agree to this it means that you’re superior or something. I don’t take orders form anyone. But, whatever. Do what you want.” The blond griped from his chair.

The silent man on the loveseat only looked him up and down once more before nodding.

Scott smiled widely and said, “Great, so Stiles, these guys are Jackson, Lydia, Ethan, Aiden, Danny, and Derek. Cora and Malia are out, but they will come back eventually.” Stiles eyes locked with Derek’s for a fraction of a second before the alpha was out of his seat. Scott had gone and sat in a previously unnoticed recliner of worn blue cloth that had been shoved between the couch and Jackson’s chair. He was sitting and had begun a conversation with Lydia.

Derek walked closer and thrust out his and to grasp Stiles’. They shook and, without releasing him, Derek took another step and entered Stiles’ personal space. “We will all need to scent you for you to officially be a member of the pack.” Derek leaned into his neck and began to rub his stubble against Stiles’ exposed throat. He had just finished and was moving to the other side when he inhaled, long and deep. Derek froze and scented the air again. Jerking back from Stiles, Derek took him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall beside the fireplace and TV. He hit the wall so hard the picture frames and clock on the mantle rattled from the impact.

Derek roared into Stiles face and yelled, “Who is your alpha?”

Stiles, to his credit, didn’t even flinch at the rough treatment. “I was under the impression that it was you.” Stiles said calmly, ignoring the snort of laughter from Scott’s corner of the room.

“From what pack are you running?” Derek asked, annoyed but no longer yelling.

“The Deacon Pack.” Stiles answered.

“And the alpha?”

“His name is Peter.”

“His last name?!” Derek demanded.

“I don’t know. He said that he removed himself from his family. I don’t think he ever took another surname. It wasn’t a subject one was permitted to talk about.”

“What did he look like?”

“Older than you. Thirty-five? It’s hard to tell with werewolves. Brown hair, graying a little? Muscles? He has grey eyes.”

Derek roared into Stiles’ face again. His hands moved to Stiles’ throat. He struggled, but there was little he could do against the sheer strength of the alpha before him.

His world went dark.


	2. Ow... Abuse Much, Dude?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek hash out a few issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. I had to wrestle with timelines to keep everything accurate. It fought like a beast, but here you go. Tell me what you think.

CH 2   

 

Stiles came to on a soft surface. He looked around from his position on the couch. Scott was pinned to the wall by Derek, who looked eager to rearrange his face.

“Wait!”

Stiles jumped up before thinking and made to grab Derek’s shoulder, but before he even made it a full step from the couch, his world tilted on its axis and he braced himself for a nasty impact with the floor. Just before he made contact, a strong hand reached out and plucked him from his fall.

He looked up into the red eyes of Alpha Hale. “Be careful!”

Once Stiles was sure he had his balance, he jerked away from Derek’s hold on his elbow. “You don’t get to tell me that when you hold me to a wall by my throat, asshole!”

Everyone in the room (now only Derek, Scott, Jackson, and Danny) stare at Stiles like he was spouting Archaic Latin. (Which he knows by the way.) Derek raised one distinctly bushy eyebrow and lowered the offending appendage.

“I did not mean to react that way. You should not have-”

“Excuse me?!” Stiles interrupted, “ _I_ should not have?”

“Yes _you_ should not-”

“No! I think the words you’re looking for here are ‘I’m sorry for slamming you into a wall, Stiles’. How can you make your overreaction my fault? Talk about victim blaming!”

“Would you stop-”

“And how is it that you want me to apologize for giving you information that you _asked_ for? How is that fair? I thought I was leaving Peter’s pack for an Alpha who wouldn’t abuse his power. Is that your reaction any time you hear something you don’t like?” Stiles ranted.

“SHUT UP!” Derek roared, so close to Stiles face that he felt the brush of Derek’s fangs against his lips.

“NO!” Stiles roared back. “You shut up! You will listen to what I have to say!”

Derek growled loudly but took a step back and waited for Stiles to continue.

“My association with Peter has nothing to do with any issues you may or may not have with him. I acted as a human member of his pack for four years. He took me in just after my thirteenth birthday. The man is my alpha and the closest thing I have left to family. That does not change the fact that he is a domineering and controlling asshole. Nor does it change the fact that he thoughtlessly and uncaringly stripped me of every ounce of pride and status I had with no thought to how it would affect my position in the pack or his relationship with me. That does not mean I’m some sort of whipping boy for your unfocused aggression for Peter.”

Derek regarded Stiles coolly for a moment before nodding. “It is not a habit of mine to put hands on anyone who cannot defend themselves. I was wrong for what I did.”

Like it never happened, Derek turned to Scott (who is now staring at Derek like he was a pod person) and asked, “When will Issac get here?”

Shaking himself, Scott replies, “Any minute now.”

“Good. When he gets in, have him set Stiles up in a room.” He turned to Stiles. “If you’re willing, I need to talk to you about your previous alpha.”

Stiles nodded and sat down on the love seat. Derek twitched but said nothing.

“I take the constipated look on your face to mean that we are about to have a very uncomfortable talk.” Stiles said.

Derek looked annoyed for a moment before sighing and aggressively sitting (because only Derek could make sitting aggressive) on the loveseat beside Stiles.

“Your former alpha is my uncle.” Derek said, without preamble.

“Wow, you don’t pull punches, do you?” Stiles sighed and leaned back into the plush cushions. “So what did he do to get on your shit list?”

“Quite a few years ago (for the purpose of this story the Hale fire happened in 2006) a Hunter by the name of Kate Argent-”

Derek halted when Stiles visibly flinched at the name.

“You know who that is?” Derek demanded.

“I don’t know anyone named Kate. I do, however, know that in 2009 Peter disappeared for a week. He never mentioned any reason for leaving and refused to tell me what he did, but just after he returned a story popped up on the news that an entire family, like aunts and cousins and grandparents and everything, was murdered in their homes by a wild animal.

Their family name was Argent. Not only was the entire family line dead, but some ‘animal’ had killed every staff member of the arms dealing business that the Argents owned.” Stiles looked at his hands where they were cradled between his knees.

 “The police, of course, knew that this wasn’t a coincidence. They just never found any evidence that proved that the Argents were murdered by a person. I never said anything to Peter about knowing. I figured he had a reason for what he did, and they were obviously hunters. This was just after Peter became the Alpha.”

Stiles looked up at Derek who was taking a deep, fortifying breath.

“I wouldn’t say anyone deserves to have their entire family murdered. At least no one was left behind to see the destruction that was wrought.” Derek sighed.

“Kate Argent seduced various people in order to coerce them into teaching her how to get away with arson. She then seduced me. I was sixteen at the time. I unknowingly gave her information that allowed her to trap nearly my entire family in our home while she burned it to the ground. Only my uncle, two of my sisters, and I survived the fire.

 Cora, my younger sister, and I were in school. My older sister Laura was out with her boyfriend. Peter was the only person who was in the building to survive. He was in the hospital for a year with severe burns. He disappeared from the hospital one night. We never saw him again. The three of us were sure he was dead. Laura became the Alpha after the fire. We moved to New York to get away from the constant reminder that our entire family was gone. We were only there for about two years before Laura was killed by a wolf one night in Manhattan.(2009) We never had any proof, but I always suspected that Peter had killed her for the alpha position. Cora and I came back to Beacon Hills to reclaim our territory. It was pure luck when she and I killed a packless alpha who thought that our territory would be easy to take. I struck the killing blow because Cora had no desire to be an Alpha.  

Stiles came to on a soft surface. He looked around from his position on the couch. Scott was pinned to the wall by Derek, who looked eager to rearrange his face.

“Wait!”

Stiles jumped up before thinking and made to grab Derek’s shoulder, but before he even made it a full step from the couch, his world tilted on its axis and he braced himself for a nasty impact with the floor. Just before he made contact, a strong hand reached out and plucked him from his fall.

He looked up into the red eyes of Alpha Hale. “Be careful!”

Once Stiles was sure he had his balance, he jerked away from Derek’s hold on his elbow. “You don’t get to tell me that when you hold me to a wall by my throat, asshole!”

Everyone in the room (now only Derek, Scott, Jackson, and Danny) stare at Stiles like he was spouting Archaic Latin, which he knows by the way. Derek raised one distinctly bushy eyebrow and lowered the offending appendage.

“I did not mean to react that way. You should not have-”

“Excuse me?!” Stiles interrupted, “ _I_ should not have?”

“Yes _you_ should not-”

“No! I think the words you’re looking for here are ‘I’m sorry for slamming you into a wall, Stiles’. How can you make your overreaction my fault? Talk about victim blaming!”

“Would you stop-”

“And how is it that you want me to apologize for giving you information that you _asked_ for? How is that fair? I thought I was leaving Peter’s pack for an Alpha who wouldn’t abuse his power. Is that your reaction any time you hear something you don’t like?” Stiles ranted.

“SHUT UP!” Derek roared, so close to Stiles face that he felt the brush of Derek’s fangs against his lips.

“NO!” Stiles roared back. “You shut up! You will listen to what I have to say!”

Derek growled loudly but took a step back and waited for Stiles to continue.

“My association with Peter has nothing to do with any issues you may or may not have with him. I acted as a human member of his pack for five years. He took me in just after my thirteenth birthday. The man is my alpha and the closest thing I have left to family. That does not change the fact that he is a domineering and controlling asshole. Noor does it change the fact that he thoughtlessly and uncaringly stripped me of every ounce of pride and status I had with no thought to how it would affect my position in the pack or his relationship with me. That does not mean I’m some sort of whipping boy for your unfocused aggression toward Peter.”

Derek regarded Stiles coolly for a moment before nodding. “It is not a habit of mine to put hands on anyone who cannot defend themselves. I was wrong for what I did.”

“You would be wrong in assuming that I can’t defend myself.” Stiles shot back.

Derek only raised an eyebrow.

Like it never happened, Derek turned to Scott (who is now staring at Derek like he was a pod person) and asked, “When will Issac get here?”

Shaking himself, Scott replies, “Any minute now.”

“Good. When he gets in, have him set Stiles up in a room.” He turned to Stiles. “If you’re willing, I need to talk to you about your previous alpha.”

Stiles nodded and sat down on the love seat. Derek twitched but said nothing.

“I take the constipated look on your face to mean that we are about to have a very uncomfortable talk.” Stiles said.

Derek looked annoyed for a moment before sighing and aggressively sitting (because only Derek could make sitting aggressive) on the loveseat beside Stiles.

“Your former alpha is my uncle.” Derek said, without preamble.

“Wow, you don’t pull punches, do you?” Stiles sighed and leaned back into the plush cushions. “So what did he do to get on your shit list?”

“Quite a few years ago (for the purpose of this story the Hale fire happened a lot later than when Derek was in highschool) a Hunter by the name of Kate Argent-”

Derek halted when Stiles visibly flinched at the name.

“You know who that is?” Derek demanded.

“I don’t know anyone named Kate. I do, however, know that in 2009 Peter disappeared for a week. He never mentioned any reason for leaving and refused to tell me what he did, but just after he returned a story popped up on the news that an entire family, like aunts and cousins and grandparents and pets and everything, was murdered in their homes by a wild animal.

Their family name was Argent. Not only was the entire family line dead, but some ‘animal’ had killed every staff member of the arms dealing business that the Argents owned.” Stiles looked at his hands where they were cradled between his knees.

“Some of the bodies were so mangled, they never did identify them all.” Stiles murmured, then shook himself.

“The police, of course, knew that this wasn’t a coincidence. They just never found any evidence that proved that the Argents were murdered by a person. I never said anything to Peter about knowing. I figured he had a reason for what he did, and they were obviously hunters. This was just after Peter became the Alpha.”

Stiles looked up at Derek who was taking a deep, fortifying breath.

“I wouldn’t say anyone deserves to have their entire family murdered. At least no one was left behind to see the destruction that was wrought.” Derek sighed.

“Kate Argent seduced various people in order to coerce them into teaching her how to get away with arson. She then seduced me. I was sixteen at the time. I unknowingly gave her information that allowed her to trap nearly my entire family in our home while she burned it to the ground. Only my uncle, two of my sisters, and I survived the fire.

Cora, my younger sister, and I were in school. Laura was out with her boyfriend. Peter was the only person who was in the building to survive. He was in the hospital for a year with severe burns. He disappeared from the hospital one night. We never saw him again. The three of us were sure he was dead. Laura became the Alpha after the fire. We moved to New York to get away from the constant reminder that our entire family was gone. We were only there for about two years before Laura was killed by a wolf one night in Manhattan.(2009. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!) We never had any proof, but I always suspected that Peter had killed her for the alpha position. Cora and I came back to Beacon Hills to reclaim our territory. It was pure luck when she and I killed a packless alpha who thought that our territory would be easy to take. I struck the killing blow because Cora had no desire to be an Alpha.

 

_“We have to do something. I won’t just sit here and die. That bastard came here thinking that we were just going to lie down and take the beating he plans to give us. And that is exactly what we’re doing, isn’t it?” Cora yelled._

_“What good will it do us to fight the alpha if it just gets both of us killed in the process? There is nothing he can do to us that will make it worth dying, or worse. I will not lose any more of my family.” Derek argued._

_“Well there is no way in hell we will make it through if we don’t at least fight for what is ours. Alpha or no Alpha. Pack or no Pack. I will not allow this bastard to come into our territory and try and take what is ours.” Cora stormed out._

_Derek sighed and fell onto the tarp covered chair that is the only thing that he had been able to salvage from the original hale house. The half-finished shell that was the new Hale House sat around him. He and Cora had decided to rebuild the house when they reclaimed their territory. They were lucky to come back and find that no one had moved in on their territory in the year they had been gone. Seeing the burned out shell of their family home did nothing to make the place feel welcoming so the two decided to tear it to its foundations and rebuild._

_A few hours after Cora stormed out, Derek's cellphone rang. He set the nail gun he was using down on a stool and answered on the second ring._

_“Hello?”  
“_ Derek? _” Cora whispered._

 _Instantly on alert, Derek's hand tightened on his phone._  
“Cora. What’s wrong?”  
“The bastard jumped me _.” Cora’s breath hitched and he heard the pounding of feet through the speaker._  
“Where are you? I’m on my way now. Get somewhere safe and wait for me.” Derek grabbed his jacket and ran for the Camaro.  
“Fuck you. I don’t hide from anyone. Especially this bastard who thinks he can scare me with a few scratches. I won’t take any of his shit _.”_  
Derek growled. “Where are you Cora?”  
“Behind the Vets office you ass face _.”_  
“I will be there in five minutes. Just don’t fucking move!”

_Derek took the turn from the Reserve at dangerous speeds. He refused to let anyone take another member of his family from him. Damn anyone who thought they could take what belonged to him. He had lost enough people that he loved in his life._

_Derek arrived in the parking lot behind Deaton’s office and was out of the Camaro before the wheels stopped turning. He followed the scent of his sister’s blood, fighting the urge to wolf out at the fear that he was too late. He found his sister crouched around the corner in the dark alley. Cora was clutching a ridiculously large metal rod. She deflated when she recognized Derek. “Stop looking at me like that. It makes me want to punch you in the face.”_

_Despite her protests, Derek wrapped Cora in a hug, careful of her wounded shoulder. A small clicking from overhead was all that alerted Derek to the rogue alpha’s presence before the wolf flung Cora away and jumped to avoid the man’s slashing claws. Cora readied her metal rod as Derek rolled and sprung, claws out, for the Alpha’s throat. The alpha dodged Cora’s swing and tackled Derek at the waist._

_The two wolves rolled across the grungy alley floor, fighting for dominance. The alpha came up on top, claws out and already halfway to Derek's throat. It would have ended just that quickly if Cora hadn’t taken that opportunity to bash the Alpha over the head with her pipe._

_Stunned, the Alpha could do nothing as Derek rolled him over and wrapped his clawed hands around the older man’s throat. He met the eyes of the man who wanted to kill both Derek and his sister in order to steal their territory. The man had dishwater blond hair, his eyes concealed behind the sickly glow of his lone Alpha red. Cora went to bash in the man’s head but Derek stopped her with a growl._

_“What? You can’t tell me you want to spare this asshole. He would have murdered both of us for our parents’ land. There is no reason why this wolf deserves to live.” Cora whispered heatedly._

_“No. He is going to die.” The Alpha whimpered at this. “I just want to give you the choice. You know if you take his life you will become the Alpha. Is that something you want? Would you be responsible for any pack we might build? You are fifteen, Cora. Is this really what you want to devote your life to?”_

_Cora sighed and nodded. “As much as it galls me… You’re right. I can’t be an alpha at my age. There are so many things that I might do with my life. You know I will always be a part of your pack. You should do it.”_

_They both turned their attention back to the Alpha that had been making a valiant effort to escape while they were distracted. Derek, not having the heart to just slit the man’s throat, released him. He knew the man would either make a run for it or attack them. The desperate alpha made his decision. When he lunged for Derek's throat, the beta wolf reached out and broke the man’s neck without hesitation. He then ripped out the rogue alpha’s throat to finish him off._

_There was no good feeling of accomplishment that followed the rush of power Derek felt. He looked to his sister, eyes glowing Alpha red, and met her understanding gaze. They were silent while they gathered the body to take back to the Reserve._

_They buried the body by the stump of an old oak tree. It was as close to a grave marker as they could afford to give the man. No matter what the man had tried to do, they felt the loss of his life like a blow. Cora and Derek just counted themselves lucky that they still had enough of a soul between them to feel remorse for ending a life._

_Neither of them slept much that night, but the next morning, Cora smiled as she helped Derek hold up a plaster wall segment. It seemed they might eventually be ok. They could move on from this. Eventually._

 

"Isaac joined the pack three years ago. Scott came a year later. We never heard from Peter again so we had no reason to look for him. Then _you_ come-”

“Wait a minute! You have no reason to say that like I’m personally responsible for everything he has done. I have no control over Peter. I’m pretty sure no one can control that man.” Stiles interrupted.

“You speak like you know him very well.” Derek said quietly.

“I thought that I did.” He said quietly. “I learned recently that I may have overestimated how close we were.”

They didn’t talk much after that. Stiles seemed to be lost in thought so Derek left him alone. He understood more than anyone what it was like to need a minute to yourself.

Isaac arrived shortly after they went their separate ways and showed Stiles upstairs to his room. They shared quiet conversation for a few minutes before Cora arrived and pounded her way upstairs. She tossed her hair dismissively at Isaac and was about halfway down the hallway before she seemed to register Stiles' presence. She turned and regarded him coolly. “Who the hell are you.” She asked.

“Stiles. Derek accepted me as his new first beta.”  
“Really” She deadpanned.  
“Um… that was the plan. I’m not so sure about now, though.”  
“You had no way of knowing who your alpha was. Derek won’t hold that against you.” Isaac assured him.

“Who was your alpha that he would make Derek distrust you?” Cora asked.

“Apparently he is Peter Hale.” Stiles sighed. It had been a long day.

Stiles barely ducked out of the way before Cora slammed into the wall he had just been leaning against. She spun and went to lunge for him again. Stiles pulled a pocket Taser from his jeans and before Cora could even touch him, Stiles had her on the ground. Cora made to get up, but Stiles had a pair of runed handcuffs around her wrists and the Taser poised against her throat before she could even get to her knees. She was on her knees with Stiles arm around her throat when Derek appeared at the top of the stairs.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Derek roared, lunging for Stiles. Stiles readied his Taser, but before Derek reached him, Isaac was between them.

“Wait! She attacked Stiles. He was only defending himself. He told her that Peter used to be his alpha.”

Derek nodded and made to help Cora up. “I have accepted him into the pack and he has agreed to answer any questions we have about his former alpha. You are not to harm him.”

“It doesn’t seem like she poses much of a threat. Stiles took her down like a boss.” Isaac laughed, and Cora growled threateningly from where she stood trying to get out of the handcuffs.

Stiles walked over and slid his thumb over a small angular rune on the left cuff where a keyhole would be. The cuffs came open in his hands and he quickly hid them away in his jeans. He turned without a word and stalked quietly to his room. He didn’t care what they were going to do for the rest of the night. He had to figure out what he was going to do without any of his possessions. He had left the Deacon Manor with only his jeep, two hundred dollars in birthday money, and a few scattered clothing items that had made their way into his jeep.

Stiles made a mental note to go shopping tomorrow for the basic essentials, bemoaning the loss of his meager savings. He made another mental note to start searching for a job that wouldn’t affect his ability to be a competent first beta to Derek.

Slipping between sheets that smelled faintly of dust and paint fumes, Stiles drifted off to thoughts of Derek and the freedom he could earn with the Hale pack.

“Isaac joined the pack three years ago. Scott came a year later. We never heard from Peter again so we had no reason to look for him. Then _you_ come-”

“Wait a minute! You have no reason to say that like I’m personally responsible for everything he has done. I have no control over Peter. I’m pretty sure no one can control that man.” Stiles interrupted.

“You speak like you know him very well.” Derek said quietly.

“Biblically.” He said quietly. “But, I learned recently that I may have overestimated how close we were.”

They didn’t talk much after that. Stiles seemed to be lost in thought so Derek left him alone. He understood more than anyone what it was like to need a minute to yourself.

Isaac arrived shortly after they went their separate ways and showed Stiles upstairs to his room. They shared quiet conversation for a few minutes before Cora arrived and pounded her way upstairs. She tossed her hair dismissively at Isaac and was about halfway down the hallway before she seemed to register Stiles' presence. She turned and regarded him coolly. “Who the hell are you.” She demanded.

“Stiles. Derek accepted me as his new first beta.” “Really” She deadpanned. “Um… that was the plan. I’m not so sure about now, though.” “You had no way of knowing who your alpha was. Derek won’t hold that against you.” Isaac assured him.

“Who was your alpha that he would make Derek distrust you?” Cora asked.

“Apparently he is Peter Hale.” Stiles sighed. It had been a long day.

Stiles barely ducked out of the way before Cora slammed into the wall he had just been leaning against. She spun and went to lunge for him again, Her eyes flashing as she slipped into beta form. Stiles pulled a pocket Taser from his jeans and before Cora could even touch him, Stiles had her on the ground. Cora made to get up, but Stiles had a pair of runed handcuffs around her wrists and the Taser poised against her throat before she could even get to her knees. She was on her knees with Stiles arm around her throat when Derek appeared at the top of the stairs.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Derek roared, lunging for Stiles. Stiles readied his Taser, but before Derek reached him, Isaac was between them.

“Wait! She attacked Stiles. He was only defending himself. He told her that Peter used to be his alpha.”

Derek nodded and made to help Cora up. “I have accepted him into the pack and he has agreed to answer any questions we have about his former alpha. You are not to harm him.”

“It doesn’t seem like she poses much of a threat. Stiles took her down like a boss.” Isaac laughed, and Cora growled threateningly from where she stood trying to get out of the handcuffs.

Stiles walked over and slid his thumb over a small angular rune on the left cuff where a keyhole would be. The cuffs came open in his hands and he quickly hid them away in his jeans. He turned without a word and stalked quietly to his room. He didn’t care what they were going to do for the rest of the night. He had to figure out what he was going to do without any of his possessions. He had left the Deacon Manor with only his jeep, two hundred dollars in birthday money he had planned to use (in addition to what he got for the bracelet) to buy Peter’s present, and a few scattered clothing items that had made their way into his jeep. Stiles found himself oddly grateful that Peter demanded such extravagant gifts, else he might have had no money at all.

Stiles made a mental note to go shopping tomorrow for the basic essentials, bemoaning the loss of his meager savings. He made another mental note to start searching for a job that wouldn’t affect his ability to be a competent first beta to Derek.

Slipping between sheets that smelled faintly of dust and paint fumes, Stiles drifted off to thoughts of Derek and the freedom he could earn with the Hale pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing makes me nervous. Also, the little icon things are mine. I made them. The wolf, however, I temporarily misappropriated... from Google.


	3. Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has one hell of a Wednesday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking forever to update this. I have a tentative plan for where this is going but I had to make a couple of minor changes because of recent character deaths. I like to keep my character list canon. No Aiden. No Erica. No Alisson. Sorry if any confusion occurs.

CH 3

 

The dark shadow crept across the hardwood floors of Stiles new room. Stiles was sleeping comfortably, sprawled across the fluffy sheets of his new bed. The shadow slipped a sickly sweet scented cloth over Stiles slightly parted mouth. The boy never stirred as the chemicals entered his system.

 

 

Stiles woke in his bed. Fuzzy and unfocused, Stiles burrowed deeper under his faded blue comforter. He snuggled into his favorite pillow and-

Stiles jolted awake! The world felt funny around him and a slight headache pressed behind his eyes, but he ignored this as he took in his surroundings. Stiles was in his room. No. That wasn’t right. He was in the room that used to be his. At Peter’s mansion. Stiles slid out of bed and looked around, making absolutely sure that he was alone.

Quickly, Stiles dashed to the door and turned the lock. It wouldn’t keep anyone out, but that didn’t matter. Stiles went to his closet and pulled down a box that he kept in case of emergencies. When Stiles had created the box’s contents, he thought he would only ever need to use it if a rival pack attacked Peter’s mansion. Stiles laughed sadly under his breath. It had never occurred to Stiles that he might need it to protect himself from Peter’s pack, let alone Peter himself.

The box contained the product of a weekend nearly a year ago when Stiles had been so deathly bored of everything that he had hit the internet for some mind numbing entertainment. Instead, Stiles had stumbled across a book of druid magic.

Barely sleeping the entire weekend, Stiles had devoured the book from beginning to end. Once he had learned all he could, Stiles went on a search and found another book. This one was a book written by Hunters.

The book detailed many things that Stiles had found horrific and disturbing, but scattered amongst the insane ravings of some hunter from the 18th century were useful tips and tricks on how to protect oneself from werewolves.

The practical results of this weekend were kept in a wooden box lined with rose petals. (Used to block the scent of several strands of Aconite and gunpowder.) The box contained a .45 caliber handgun that Stiles had misappropriated from one of the Deacon pack members who had refused to join Peter more than four years ago. Newly added were a box of 20 bullets, modified with a particularly nasty strand of wolfsbane.

The box contained an extra set of runed handcuffs (the first pair he carried, along with his modified pocket Taser, whenever he left the protection of the pack), a smaller box that contained a rather excessive supply of mountain ash, a map detailing the location of a small grove of rowan trees that Stiles had planted (The saplings were nearly three years old now and were a quite handy source of wood to make ash with), a modified cattle prod that was much meaner (and more illegal) than the Taser, and a small book of offensive spells that Stiles was almost disturbingly good at using.

Stiles took out the box that contained the mountain ash and quickly pinched a tiny amount between his fingers. Closing his eyes, Stiles concentrated as he sprinkled the ash in front of his door. When Stiles opened his eyes, there was a thick line of ash across the threshold of the room. Stiles repeated the process in front of his window before turning his attention to his room.

Being kidnapped was probably the best thing that could have happened to Stiles considering the circumstances. It would have been much harder to break into Peter’s mansion and retrieve his belongings.

Going to his desk, Stiles opened a drawer and retrieved a pencil and his spare cellphone. (He had a habit of losing them.) He tucked the phone in his pocket and went to the door again, where he used the pencil to scratch a small swirling rune into the wood. Brushing his finger over the mark, Stiles felt a pull from deep inside his chest as the magic soundproofed the room. Hopefully no one in the mansion had heard him moving around.

Stiles pulled a backpack and shoulder bag from the top of his closet and moved to his bed. He placed the box in his backpack and began packing clothes into the shoulder bag. He tucked the book of runes into his back pocket and shoved his pillow on top of the clothes before zipping the bag. Several larger books on magic and various bits of supernatural lore went into Stiles backpack along with his sizeable stash of junk food and a velvet bag he produced from a hidden drawer in his desk.

Zipping up the backpack, Stiles took out the phone before realizing he had no idea who to call. None of the members of the Hale pack had had time to give him their numbers. That thought gave him pause.

What was he thinking? Would they even be willing to come get him? He had only joined their pack yesterday. They had probably discovered him missing already and assumed he had changed his mind and gone back. Why would they come and risk danger to themselves when they didn’t even know him?

Stiles shook himself. He couldn’t turn back now. If by some miracle Peter didn’t know that Stiles had jumped ship, he would at the very least be pissed with the Hale pack for ‘kidnapping’ him. There was no way that Stiles could ask them to come get him. He would have to escape on his own, preferably before someone from Peter’s pack had a chance to scent Stiles and realize what he had done. If Peter realized what Stiles had done, he would be murderous.

Refusing to dwell on the possibility that Peter might, at this moment, thoroughly wish to painfully murder both Stiles and the Hale pack, Stiles turned to his laptop and did a quick search. He found the number for Hale of a Pawn Shop and checked his clock to be sure it was during business hours. 3PM. Whatever they had dosed him with had been potent.

Stiles saved the number into his phone and slipped the laptop, cord, and his bottle of Adderall into the backpack. After grabbing both of the bags, Stiles turned to the window and lifted the pane. Of course his room had to be on the second floor, but Stiles had gotten adept at sneaking out when he was in his early teens. Nimbly, Stiles stepped out onto the overhang for Peter’s three car garage and crouched when a beta walked by below. He cursed under his breath that it wasn’t dark outside and used some nearby dirt to doodle a rune on his wrist. It wouldn’t make him invisible, but the rune made it harder for people to focus on him. Eyes that turned his way would slide over him as if he wasn’t there unless he called attention to himself (i.e. falling off of the roof like a clumsy idiot).

Stiles was halfway across the yard when the black Camaro roared up the drive.

 

 

 _This is turning into one hell of a Wednesday._ Derek thought. It was barely after noon and already he had a splitting headache. “We are not adding a pool Lydia. I don’t care how much you threaten and gripe, unless you can come up with the six grand it’s going to cost to put the stupid thing in.”

Lydia huffed and glared petulantly. “It’s not like there is anything _else_ for normal people to do around here. Why couldn’t you build the pack house in town. Then I could have at least gone to a friend’s house to sunbathe.”

“I fail to see how an expensive, concrete, glorified duck pond that stinks of chlorine is required to sit outside and watch your skin get darker.” Derek growled.

“That’s because you are a werewolf. You spend all day either brooding in the darkness or running around in the woods. You have one of those natural tans that you outdoor freaks are required to have.” Lydia hissed.

“Well when you get a job and actually begin to contribute to the pack with something other than opinions that no one asked for, then maybe we can talk about making major purchases. Until the day that _Jackson_ isn’t providing the most to the funds that we live off of, I won’t be giving it much serious thought.” With that, Derek turned and went upstairs. He always went for a run to work out his frustration with his increasingly juvenile pack, but Lydia’s comment had stung more than he let on. He would just have to work his frustrations out some other way.

At the top of the stairs, Derek paused outside the door of his new second in command. The boy didn’t seem like the type to spend most of the day in bed. In fact, he imagined Stile was the type to wake up at the crack of dawn for no reason but to watch the sun rise.

Derek took a step towards the door before pausing. What if Stiles didn’t appreciate being checked up on? It’s not like he really knew anything about the kid, and if Stiles was awake when he went in it could get awkward really fast.

Deciding it would be best not to enter, Derek cocked his head to the side to listen for Stiles heartbeat.

………

Strange. Was he somewhere else in the house? Shifting his focus, Derek examined all of the heartbeats in the Hale house. Scott was in the weight room working out. His heart was loud and fast with exertion. Isaac was in the kitchen. He was humming softly as he made a sandwich. Lydia was outside on a lawn chair. Her ipod blared something about wiggling?? Weird. Ethan was in his room with Danny and they were-

“Oh, gross!” Derek shook the unwanted sounds from his head and turned towards the last heartbeat in the house. It was Jackson, watching some sport show in TV.

No Stiles.

Peeved, Derek asked the house in general, “Has anyone seen Stiles today? He’s not in his room.”

When a chorus of no’s came back from all over the house, Derek went outside. Cora had gone to work at around six that morning and wouldn’t be back for another few hours. Derek knew better than to ask her anything about her new pack-mate, she was still peeved about last night.

Derek was just starting to think the little shit had changed his mind and gone back to Peter when he noticed Stiles’ jeep. It was sitting in the exact same spot the boy had left it in the previous day. That was good it meant that Stiles meant to come back. Derek relaxed… but wait. If Stiles’ jeep was here and no one had seen him all day (He knew for a fact that Danny had been up since before Cora left for work.) then where the fuck was he?

Derek stalked back into the house and up the stairs. He reached for the knob to Stiles’ door and turned.

Shit. That was bad. The door to Stiles room only locked from the inside. Operating under the assumption that Stiles couldn’t walk through walls, that meant that Stiles had gone out the window.

Derek couldn’t think of one good reason why Stiles would have used the window when there was a perfectly good door.

Derek was starting to reconsider his theory that Stiles had defected, when he noticed Stiles’ cellphone laying on the bedside table.

Picking it up, Derek unplugged it from the charger and powered it on. The screen made him go cold inside.

On the cover was a picture, supposedly taken by another pack member, of Peter and Stiles sitting in the grass. Moonlight lit up the front yard to Peter’s mansion, and Stiles smiled up at the moon while Peter caressed Stiles throat.

The picture made Derek furious. He had no idea why the sight of Stiles’ throat so close to his uncles’ hands make him so furious. Stiles had lived with the man for years and come to no harm until recently. The picture brought Derek’s wolf to the surface.

Derek’s instincts were screaming at him to find his pack member and scent mark him thoroughly, leaving no trace that Peter had ever touched him.

Stiles was HIS second in command, no matter how new, and the thought of Peter touching him was vile. Derek almost threw the phone against the wall, needing to destroy any claim Peter might still have on the boy.

Derek took a deep breath to calm himself… and froze.

That scent…

Not Stiles’ scent, though that was in the room too, no matter how faint. No, this was another wolf. Not pack. An enemy. This wolf had come into Stiles room.

Derek looked around again.

No sign of a struggle. Nothing out of place. The only thing that was missing was Stiles. Narrowing his eyes, Derek breathed the scent in again, tasting it. Musky, unfamiliar and slightly acidic. No, he had never met this wolf before.

Who had been on patrol last night?

Rage tore through Derek at the thought that someone had entered his home in the night and harmed (taken?) one of his pack members while Ethan was supposed to be outside patrolling the perimeter. Ethan had said nothing. No unfamiliar scents in the woods. No trespassers.

Derek stormed out of Stiles room and down the hall. He turned a corner and almost bowled Danny over in his haste. Jerking to a stop and catching Danny’s shoulder, Derek snarled, “Where is Ethan?”

Danny jerked and took a step back. “Whoa, dude! What has he done now?”

“Stiles is missing. I think he was taken from his room last night, and _Ethan_ was the one on patrol. So, I will ask you again, where the fuck is he?” Derek grumbled.

Danny paled. “Taken? Are you sure?”

The rest of the pack, having heard what Derek said, had gathered in the hallway. Ethan stepped around Danny and said, “There is no way he was taken. I patrolled the outer perimeter the whole night. Unless the bastard swam up the creak and scaled the side of the….. Fuck that’s what he did, didn’t he?”

Isaac stepped forward. “We can worry about the lapses in our defenses later. Do you think it was one of Peter’s pack?”

“It had to be. No one knew that Stiles would be coming here. Whoever took him would not have been able to find the kid unless they knew his scent. I think Peter sent someone after Stiles when he never went back.” Derek said.

“But wait, if they took Stiles from here, wouldn’t they know that Stiles tried to leave their pack?” Scott asked. “They could be torturing him or something!”

“Then I had better go and get him.” Derek said.

When the entire pack seemed to protest at once, Derek shouted, “Shut up! None of you even know where Peter’s place is, and if we show up en masse they will think it is an attack. I’m going on a diplomatic mission to retrieve my second in command. If he has a problem with that then he can take it up with the Emissaries council.”

Without another word, Derek turned and left the house. He started his Camaro and pealed out of the driveway.

How dare Peter lay hands on a member of his pack! Derek growled and stomped the accelerator. Peter had better pray to whatever god he believed in that Stiles hadn’t so much as split a hair. 

 

“Derek!” Stiles shouted to the black car that was roaring down the long drive.

Derek’s head whipped around and he stomped the breaks. He was out of the car and in the grass by the time Stiles reached him.

Stiles was shocked when Derek’s hands came up to frame his face. “Are you hurt?” Derek growled, eyes red.

“N-No?” It came out as a question, Stiles slightly unsure of Derek’s reaction.

“Good. Did you escape?” Derek asked.

“Of course I escaped! How stupid do you think I am?” Stiles scoffed.

“Very. You got kidnapped.” Derek drawled.

“I’m pretty sure they think they were rescuing me, actually. My door wasn’t locked and I didn’t feel imprisoned. Though it was a good chance to grab my stuff.” Stiles smiled sheepishly.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derek sighed. He looked up, paused, and squinted.

“Why are you blurry?” He asked.

“Magic.” Stiles showed him the rune. “I’m hard to notice unless I want you to see me. It’s probably why you didn’t see me until I called out. But if you heard me it probably means the whole house did to.”

“Who cares? Put your stuff in the car, we need to have a chat with my _Uncle.”_ Derek said.

After Stiles threw his bags into the trunk, he and Derek climbed into the car pulled up to Peter’s house.

This was going to be interesting.

The door was already open when Derek got to the front porch. The beta in the doorway was named Steven. He was nice to Stiles.

Sensing that Derek was going to be mean to the poor guy, Stiles stepped up and said, “Hey Steven, my man! This is Derek and he needs to have a word with Peter about something important. I haven’t seen him yet today. Would you happen to know where he is?”

Stiles gave his most charming smile and poor Steven fell hook, line and sinker. “Sure dude, I think he is in his office. Does your friend want to come in, or should I go get the alpha?”

“I think we’re good out here. If it isn’t too much trouble, could you ask Peter if he has a second?” Stiles said.

“Sure!” Steven smiled and disappeared into the house.

Not a moment later, Peter and a much more solemn looking Steven reappeared in the doorway.

Peter showed no visible reaction to his nephew’s sudden appearance. “Peter.” Derek nodded.

“Alpha Hale.”

“We need to discuss something of minor importance that you seem to be unaware of.” Derek said, nonchalantly.

“And that requires you to take my mate?” Peter asked icily.

Derek paused for a moment then raised an eyebrow.

“I think it would be hard for you to claim Stiles as your mate now, Peter.” Derek said.

“And why is that?” Peter gritted out.

“Because when I accepted him into my pack, he was an omega.” Derek said, smiling viciously.

“What did you just say?” Peter whispered.

“Stiles is a member of my pack now. Which means that whichever member of your pack you sent into my territory has broken pack law by invading my space and abducting a member of my pack.” Derek said. “I have chosen to let this slide, as Stiles is unharmed and you were apparently unaware.”

Seeing that he had lost, Peter turned his attention to Stiles.

“Has he coerced you in any way, love?” Peter asked.

“Do not call me that.” Stiles ordered, calmly. “And no, I joined the Hale pack of my own volition.”

“Before you make any decisions that cannot be reversed, you should know that the mistake I made yesterday was in haste and I have already taken steps to correct it. To leave our pack, where you are trusted and vital to our operation, to become the omega for some pack you met in the street-“

“Stiles is not the omega for our pack, and the omega we do have would take offense to the implication that such a title is unsavory.” Derek interrupted. “Stiles is my second in command.”

Peter was silent. His eyes worked back and forth as he visibly tried to control his temper.

“Stiles you have already been made the official second in command in our pack. If this is about the your short stint as omega-“

“My defection has nothing to do with being an omega, Peter. Though it did hurt to have every bit of title I possessed ripped from me in a childish fit of temper, I left because of the way you treat me and how you abuse my presence.” Stiles hissed.

“I have never touched you in anger!” Peter roared.

“There is more than one way to abuse someone, uncle.” Derek said.

“The reason I left has to do with the fact that you treat me like a pet. I am fed and played with, but my opinion does not matter. Unless I am giving you some trifle of information on how to make you more powerful, my opinion is not worth the air I waste to voice it! I am not _allowed_ to get a job. I have to ask _permission_ to do almost anything!”

“What is the point of this? No matter what I say, you will leave this pack. You have made your decision and no amount of logic will sway you to think otherwise,” Peter growled.

“I would appreciate it if you would keep the fuck off of my property, Alpha of Deacon. That is all I came to say.” Derek said, and turned to leave.

Stiles shot one last look at Peter before following him.

They were about halfway home when Stiles spoke.

“Thank you for helping me. I was half convinced you would assume I had changed my mind.” Stiles murmured.

“I will not lie and say the thought did not cross my mind.” Derek replied.

“I was telling the truth, you know.” Stiles said. “I want to be a part of a pack that cares about its members and where my opinions and wishes matter.”

Derek only grunted in response, and they continued the drive in silence.

Just before they reached the Hale house, Stiles asked, “So, can I get a job?”

And Derek said, “I don’t give a fuck what you do.”

Stiles grinned and said nothing else.

When they entered the Hale house, the entire pack was gathered. They spent the next couple of hours scent marking Stiles and swapping phone numbers. Derek didn’t go to sleep that night until he had modified the patrol route to go directly under stiles window.

 


	4. Runes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic, runes, and Mayhem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never tried to write two fics at once, and I'm finding it kind of difficult to keep interest in both at the same time, but I'm working on it. For now, it's slow going, but I will not abandon my stories. Look! A chapter!

Stiles stumbled into his room, after several hours of being aggressively cuddled, and flopped down onto his new bed. Reaching his fumbling fingers out in the dark, Stiles pulled his pillow from his bag and buried his face in the folds of the soft pillowcase.

It was familiar, but the scent rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. It took Stiles a moment to figure out why.

Peter. The pillow held faint traces of Peter's scent, and the part of Stiles that was now solidly loyal to a new wolf pack rebelled against the scent. Stiles had taken the pillow because he liked it and would miss the comfort of his room, but the scent wafting from the plush cotton was disturbing in a way it never had been before.

Stiles rolled off of the bed and chucked the pillow out into the hall, unwilling to leave his room, but needing to be far away from that scent. Slamming the door, Stiles stalked back over to his bags and began pulling books out and placing them on the barren shelf that stood in the corner. Obviously Derek was not one for interior decorating.

The small shelf seemed to sag under the weight of the heavy times, and Stiles almost feared it would collapse. Leaving it for now, Stiles unpacked his clothes and put them away in the faded chest of drawers that sat in the corner by a tiny closet.

Once all of Stiles meager belongings were put away, Stiles flopped back into his bed, cradling the small velvet bag that he kept all of the precious objects his mother had given him. Stiles fingered the delicate bracelet, that still adorned his wrist, for a moment before taking it off and slipping it into the bag.

Though Stiles had only been awake for a few hours, he was already dead tired, feeling as if he hadn't slept in days. Stiles had no idea how using so much magic while still being affected by the drugs in his system would affect him, and at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care. Stiles barely managed to roll over and place the bag on his bedside table before he fell into a deep sleep.

 

 

 

The next morning, Stiles was awoken by a commotion outside his door. "How dare he bring that here!" Cora hissed. "Do you know what it did to me to walk out into the hall and have that proud smell hit me?"

"I don't care how much it offends your delicate noise, Cora. Stiles can bring whatever he wants here. It will carry the pack's scent after a good washing, so stop making everything that Stiles does about you!" Derek scolded.

Cora huffed and stalked away, and Stiles, now wide awake, slipped from his bed and cracked the door open to look out. Derek was standing there looking down at Stiles pillow like it had betrayed him.

"I didn't mean to leave it out there." Stiles said. "I just didn't like the way it smelled, and I was too tired to wash it."

Derek looked up at him with a strangely intense emotion gleaming in his eyes. "I understand." Was all he said before stalking away.

Yes, Stiles imagined that Derek understood Stiles' reaction to Peter's scent more than anyone. That thought made Stiles sad for some unknown reason.

Shaking it off, Stiles grabbed all of the clothes he wouldn't need and set off in search of a washing machine.

Stiles spent nearly an hour trying to browbeat Derek’s illogically complicated washer and dryer into cleaning his clothes. Finally, Stiles returned to his room with a mound of (slightly damp) clean clothes. He resisted the urge to toss them on the bed and leave them to wrinkle.

After putting the clothes away, (including the now Tide fresh pillow) Stiles propped open his window and set about cleaning the room. It was obvious from the fine layer of dust that the room had been unoccupied for a while. Stiles was surprised to find a layer of plaster dust under the grime. It seemed that the house itself wasn’t all that old.

He resolved to ask Derek about it later.

Stiles spent quite a long time arranging his meager possessions around the room and attempting to make it look lived-in. He resolved to make a trip to the store for much needed posters and teen-aged paraphernalia to clutter the room with.

After hammering out the more mundane aspects of his décor, Stiles cracked open one of the heavy tomes from his bookshelf and spent nearly an hour etching runes into nearly every concealed surface of the room’s framework.

First, Stiles unscrewed the light switch cover and etched an angular rune into the backside before screwing it back in place. The rune would activate only when the light was on, casting a red tint (that only a magic user could see) on anyone that meant Stiles harm.

Into the tiny crack between the door hinges and the frame, Stiles carved a swirling oval rune that sound proofed the room whenever the door was shut. Stiles then moved to the window and scrawled a tiny star shaped rune that made the window impossible to open from the outside unless permission was given by the caster.

Stiles was crammed under the bed, placing a rather intricate rune on the baseboard, when a knock sounded at the door.

“Yeah?” Stiles called.

“May I come in?” Came Danny’s voice from the hall.

“Sure, come in.” Stiles answered, still scribbling away under the bed. (Stiles magic allowed Danny to hear him through the sound proofing because Stiles wanted him to. It’s all about intent.”

Danny opened the door and paused, staring at Stiles splayed legs where they stuck out from under the bed.

“What are you doing?” Danny asked.

“I’m making my bed squeak-proof.” Stiles muffled voice said, as he began to shimmy his way out from under the bed.

“Okay.” Danny said, confused.

“What can I do ya for, my man?” Stiles asked, grinning crookedly up from the floor.

“I need to know if you have a computer.” Danny said.

“Yeah, I have a laptop, why?” Stiles asked.

“I have to encrypt your laptop with the identifier algorithms, so that you can access our network without my firewall frying your system.” Danny explained.

“Yes, please! I can’t afford another one of these things!” Stiles said scrambling to the desk to pass his laptop to Danny.

“It will take a couple of hours, so I will bring it back. I promise not to mess with any of your systems.” Danny said, before leaving.

Stiles took a moment to be glad he hadn’t tried to use the internet before setting back to work.

He had one last rune to place, and he etched it into the bottom of his sagging book shelf. The twisting rune was activated by a safe word ‘Genim’ and would send out a short distress call to all of the pack members if he was in danger.

Laying these basic wards had taken a lot of magic, and Stiles decided to hold off on warding the rest of the property until he got a solid eight hours of sleep.

After double checking all of his work and tracing over each one carefully to activate it, Stiles gathered his clothes and set off down the hall to the bathroom he shared with the two other rooms on his end of the hall. (Ethan and Derek.)

Thirty minutes later, Stiles fell into bed and slept the deep, dreamless sleep of the exhausted.

 

 

 

The next day, Stiles spent a bit of time getting to know his pack. He learned that Danny and Ethan were in a relationship. Lydia and Jackson were… complicated. Cora hated everyone, so it wasn’t just him. Isaac and Scott were a strange mix between brothers and flirty friends. Then there was Malia. She showed up out of the blue this morning and acted like she was welcome, if uncertain of her place. Stiles figured she was a new face, much like him.

The girl struck him as off, though. He couldn’t place why. Her aura resonated on a slightly different frequency than that of the werewolves. She was something, that was for sure. And it wasn’t human, but he liked her, so he decided to reserve judgment.

After spending time veging on the couch and playing Halo with Scott, Danny, and Isaac, Stiles finally begged off and went outside. Oh, yes. This house was definitely new. If he leaned close, he could still smell the paint, but there was something underneath that was tickling at the back of his brain. Stiles placed a hand on the railing of the front porch and closed his eyes.

He reached out his second sense and touched that incorporeal wisp of sensation that hat brushed his subconscious.

What he found floored him.

Under the current layer of peace and closeness that surrounded the pack, was a layer of darkness so deep it threatened to swallow Stiles whole. Overwhelmed by the pure strength of the sensation, Stiles was dragged into a vision.

_Smoke. Screams and the scrape of claws on wood. The smell of Gasoline and Rowan ashes burning. The crying of children and singing. A woman, dark haired and hazel eyed, singing a song about the moon to small children to distract them from the flames that inched ever closer. Flashing lights, and a pale blonde face watching from the tree line with a manic smile. More faces. A teacher with glasses. A dark skinned hunter on a motorcycle. An older man at a desk. Ashes. Derek and Laura sitting on the back of an Ambulance, swaddled in shock blankets, tear stained faces turned up to a deputy whose face tugged at a distant memory. A voice calling Stiles name. Stiles…. Stiles…. STILES!_

Stiles was jerked out of his trance by the steely grip on his arms, shaking him. He blinked and looked up into an eerily familiar pair of worried hazel eyes. Derek.

Stiles sobbed and stepped away from Derek’s touch, unable to handle the sensory input. His system was overloaded, and he was trembling from the sheer force of the emotion conveyed in his vision.

Derek was still hovering over Stiles, asking increasingly worried questions.

“Stiles! What happened? I thought you were having a panic attack.” Derek said.

Was he? He couldn’t tell.

“I- I’m fine. It will pass in a moment.” Stiles gasped out.

“The hell you’re fine!” Derek growled. “I thought your heart was going to explode. What happened?”

“I saw.”

“Saw what?” Derek demanded.

“Fire.” Stiles whispered.

Derek froze.

“What do you mean, you saw?” Derek asked, quietly.

“How could they do that to so many people?” Stiles asked, feeling sick. “How could they stand the screams?”

“Who?” Derek demanded, darkly.

“It was her idea. The blonde. But she had help. A teacher. A hunter. An arson investigator. A couple of local arsonists.” Stiles paused to gasp for breath, fighting back the urge to be sick. “They locked the whole family inside with mountain ash and watched them burn.”

Stiles looked up. “Peter and Cora were inside. I saw Peter escape, badly wounded. But Cora. Derek, I watched Cora die. And if Cora died in the fire, then who the hell is that?” Stiles said, pointing into the living room, where Cora was reading a magazine on the couch.

Derek loomed closer. “What do you mean you saw her die?”

“I mean I watched as the flesh melted from her bones and the charred remains of her organs congealed into a stain on the concrete floor!” Stiles shouted. “There is no natural way that the woman sitting in there is your sister!”

“There is a way.” Derek said.

That brought Stiles up short. “What?”

“Peter has done it.” Derek said. “I slit that crazy bastard’s throat myself, and he came back.”

Stiles shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t have worked.” Stiles said, “Peter had a body to come back to. There was nothing left of Cora but the warped puddle of her bones and charred tissue. If that is your sister, then that isn’t the body she had before.”

Derek shook his head in denial but Stiles cut him off. “I know that she is the only real family you have left. And just because she isn’t the same as she used to be doesn’t mean that she isn’t your sister, but we need to know what happened and how she came to be here, because if she means this pack any harm, we need to be prepared. Did you never ask her how she survived, or where she has been all this time? I got the impression that she hasn’t been around long.”

“She showed up one day about two years ago. Said she was in South America, but wouldn’t say much else. She won’t talk about the fire, and I haven’t pushed her. Why can’t I just be happy to have a member of my family back? Why does this have to be a bad thing?” Derek said.

Stiles felt like shit for hurting Derek like this, but he would rather Derek be hurt now than have to watch him pick up the pieces after another disaster like the fire. “I will leave you to deal with your sister. It seems like something you should do, but it needs to be done before something terrible happens.”

Changing the subject, Stiles said, “Did they ever catch the one who set the fire?”

“No. It was ruled an accident, and the case was closed.” Derek whispered. Stiles could tell he would rather talk about anything else.

“Where is Kate now?” Stiles asked.

Derek jerked and leveled Stiles with a dark glare. “Where did you hear that name?” He hissed.

“I saw… everything.” Stiles said.

Derek said nothing, avoiding his eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault Derek.” Stiles said, quietly.

Derek didn’t reply. He just turned and walked away. Stiles resolved to track down every person who was involved in the Hale fire and make sure they paid for what they had done to Derek. No one deserved to have their entire family ripped away by someone who claimed to love them. That kind of betrayal deserved recompense.

Putting it to the side for now, Stiles began the long and arduous process of warding the land around the Hale house, setting rune stones and the cardinal points and invoking several barriers that would keep out any who wished to harm the Hale pack.

After several hours, Stiles dragged himself up the front porch steps and into the house. He retrieved his laptop from Danny and went up to his room.

Refusing his body the sleep that it was begging for, Stiles popped and Adderall and sat at his desk to begin his research into the Hale fire. He wasn’t as good as Danny, but Stiles had gotten pretty good at getting into government databases and snooping around. It was the work of minutes to hack his way into the files of the local sheriff’s dept. (Who had thankfully updated to digital archives recently) and access the case file for the Hale fire. It was obvious to even the most casual observer that the findings were forged. The Argents had to have had most of the police force in their pocket to pull this off.

Stiles was sickened all over again. What kind of person would help to cover up the murder of an entire family? Children. There had been children in the house. Disgusted, Stiles began to look up all of the people he knew were involved in the fire.

The investigator: Deceased.

The hunter: Deceased.

The arsonists: Deceased.

The teacher: Deceased.

The Argent: Unknown.

Kate had an alibi for that night, but Stiles paid it no mind. He had seen her there in his vision, watching with that sick, satisfied smile on her face. Kate hadn’t been seen in Beacon Hills in over three years. She was last seen attending the funeral of her sister-in-law, Victoria Argent.

Stiles would probably have to pry what had happened there out of the pack, seeing as Derek was so unwilling to talk about it. One thing was for sure, she was alive. In Stiles experience, nothing was more resilient than a psychotic hunter. They liked to turn up like a bad penny. Stiles didn’t care how deep in hiding Kate was, or how convinced everyone was of her innocence. She was going to pay. For what she had done to the Hales. And for what she had done to Derek.

 

 

The next day, Stiles made pancakes. He sat at the counter watching the pack dig its way through forty pounds of pancake batter and blueberries as he did job searches online. He was debating between the local coffee shop and the library when he felt a tingle along the back of his neck. Someone outside the pack had crossed one of his outer wards.

“Heads up.” Stiles said, gesturing to the front door, as more wards were crossed and the tingling grew more intense.

Scott reluctantly left his plate and moved to the porch to await their unexpected guest. Stiles was surprised when a police cruiser pulled up the long drive. Scott relaxed and smiled, waving the man inside before returning to his pancakes.

The man who walked through the door wore a sheriff’s badge and a stern expression. “Where’s Danny?” He asked.

Hearing his name, Danny stuck his head into the kitchen from the hallway. “Sheriff? Whatever it was it wasn’t me. I haven’t been near your systems since the last time.”

“You sure about that, Son?” The man said, sternly. “Because we had an intrusion from your IP address last night, and they accessed some rather interesting files.” The man pinned Danny with a glare.

Not phased in the least, Danny grinned. “I put those systems in, Sheriff. I could slip in and out undetected if I wanted. You would never know I was there. So had to be another pack member, because no outsider could hack my IP to use as a Trojan.”

Stiles raised his hand and smiled nervously. “Guilty.”

The Sheriff turned to pin him with a glare, but froze. His intense gaze grew more piercing and his eyes widened in disbelief.

“What’s your name, son?” The man demanded, stepping closer.

Thrown off, and a bit apprehensive, Stiles stuttered out his name.

The man marched another step closer. “Is that your real name? Give me your full name!” He demanded.

A bit frightened, now Stiles stuttered out, “Genim Bronislaw Stilinski.”

The Sherifff froze. “No. There is no way.” He whispered.

The man seized Stiles by the arm and dragged him into the living room where Derek sat in his chair reading and ignoring his pack’s antics. The Sheriff forced Stiles into a halt in front of Derek’s chair, and the Alpha looked up.

Seeing the stark terror on Stiles face, Derek shot to his feet and removed the Sheriff’s hand, scooting his second behind him, and making the boy fall into his chair. Losing contact with Stiles seemed to piss the Sheriff off and he jabbed a finger in Stiles’ direction.

“Where did he come from?” The Sheriff demanded.

“He was in Peter’s pack until recently. Now he’s my second. Why? What did he do?” Derek asked, keeping the shaken boy out of the Sheriff’s line of sight.

“He- He can’t. But he looks- How-” The Sheriff couldn’t seem to organize his thoughts.

“Spit it out Stilinski!” Derek demanded, and Stiles felt his hart stop.

Eyes widening, Derek whirled to examine Stiles, as his heart lurched into a frantic pace.

“St-Stilinski.” He whispered.

Derek shot a look between his second and the Sheriff, trying to connect the dots.

“That’s your name?” Stiles demanded. “Stilinski?”

The Sheriff nodded jerkily and turned to Derek. “Why didn’t you tell me you adopted a kid with my last name?”

“Woah!” Stiles broke in. “He did NOT adopt me! And he didn’t know my last name. I never said. But who are you? Peter said I was an orphan, and that he found me in the streets.”

“My son, Genim Stilinski, went missing years ago. Just vanished from his room one night, and I never saw or heard from him again. I hoped for a while that someone would ask for a ransom, but he just disappeared. Like smoke.” The Sheriff said.

“I don’t understand. Are you saying Peter kidnapped me?” Stiles asked, incredulous. “Why? I didn’t even know magic yet.”

The Sheriff stiffened. “Magic?”

Stiles frowned. “You know about werewolves but you find magic hard to believe?”

“Oh, I believe. And in my experience, anyone who has anything to do with magic has caused nothing but trouble for this town. That stupid nemeton has done nothing but raise the body count. I thought it had finally lost its power.” He looked to Derek for confirmation.

“It is dead.” The Alpha said.

“I don’t draw my power from a nemeton.” Stiles said.

They both looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

Stiles sighed. “My power is a pure manifestation of will. It comes from my inner spark. Fueled by my magical affinity, I use my belief in my own ability to bring forth the magic that already exists inside me.”

They looked confused. “Does that mean you will run out? How do you store magical energy?”

Stiles shook his head. “I don’t store anything. I am the magic. Or more accurately, I have the potential to create magic. There is a tiny spark of magical affinity that rests in the center of my soul. I use the latent magical potential around me to power the conversion of my will into tangible magical essence. I direct that essence through my belief in its power.” Stiles explained.

“There are several ways to practice magic. Most Sparks choose one method and stick with it, but I am proficient in several methods. My strongest casting type is with runes, the symbols I used to ward the house. They store my intent and channel my magic into a specific purpose.

I can also cast using Latin phrasing, but I find that a bit tedious. The results are more intense but casting takes time, and it’s not useful in a time sensitive situation. I’m in the process of learning nature casting, which is channeling my spark through a chosen element (mine will be earth) and using its natural born power to amplify mine and focus my intent into tangible results, but that is an extremely difficult medium to master, and it’s taking time.”

The Sheriff was staring at him like a pod person, and maybe that’s what he was to the man. A foreign creature wearing the skin of what used to be his child. Stiles hoped the man could handle disappointment, because he was through trying to please other people, and if the Sheriff didn’t like who Stiles was, then he could disappear down the driveway the same way he had come.

Stiles was surprised, however, when the Sheriff reached out and touched one of the moles on the side of Stiles face. “God, I’m so afraid to hope that you are my son, but I see Claudia in you. I see myself.”

The man pulled Stiles into a tight hug and, uncomfortable, Stiles met Derek’s eyes over the man’s shoulder.

“John.” Derek said, gently, and the Sheriff pulled back.

“I’m sorry.” John said. “I’m just so glad to have hope again. I know this is a bit invasive, but I have to be sure. Can I do a DNA test? To see? I’m almost positive already, but…” The Sheriff broke off, his voice choked with emotion.

Stiles nodded stiffly. “Sure, whatever you need.”

He wasn’t sure how to handle this. He had no experience with family, and he wasn’t sure he wanted a father. He didn’t know what was expected of him and the strangeness of the situation made him want to melt into the woods and lose himself in his magic to escape this strange new life he seemed to have fallen into.

Derek, sensing Stiles’ frayed nerves, began to gently usher the Sheriff out the door. He could tell that his second needed time to process the new information, and having the Sheriff hovering about would do little to help.

Once the man was gone, Derek placed a comforting hand on Stiles stiff shoulder, then left the boy alone to deal with his demons.

Because if there was one thing Derek understood, it was demons.

 

 

 

Stiles barely remembered leaving the Hale house. He barely managed to keep his magic in check until he reached the first ward. Crying out, Stiles let his magic loose and slipped into the place he felt most comfortable.

Watching from the window, Derek cried out in shock as Stiles seemed to turn sideways and disappear with a shimmer of wild, unfocused magic.

Stiles loved this place. The ground was that vibrant, healthy green that only showed in places that had never been touched by man. Places like that were precious few on Earth, now. But here, in this place between places, all of the grass shone with that purity.

Seeking to protect him from his own tumultuous emotions, Stiles magic had burst forth and whisked him into a realm of his own making. Created entirely from Stiles magic, this place had been Stiles secret getaway since he had learned to wield his unruly spark. It was a tiny pocket in another dimension, accessible only with magic that resonated with Stiles soul.

But the air here had changed since Stiles was last here, and it took him a minute to puzzle out why. His pack. Stiles magic wasn’t dependent on an outside source, but it did gain a bit of strength from the magical beings he surrounded himself with.

Stiles had been with the Deacon pack since before he had tapped into his spark. The inherent, wild magic that made werewolves such powerful creatures had infused Stiles’ magic with a slightly yellow overtone, imprinting on his aura and affecting this magical realm.

It wasn’t until he saw the same place, draped in the clear gossamer of the Hale pack’s wild magic, that he realized how unhealthy the Deacon pack was. Their magic auras were tainted by the violence that brought them to Power. The yellow tinge of their alpha’s madness tainted everything, and Stiles was shocked that he never noticed it before.

His secret forest had never looked so healthy. It was shining with the new happiness he had found. But his world was complicated now.

Stiles sighed.

How was he supposed to handle this situation? On the one hand, he yearned for a family. There was nothing he wanted more than to have someone he could claim as his. But the people that wanted him in his past had only ever been after one thing. His magic.

No one had ever truly wanted Stiles for Stiles. They wanted the power that having such a strong Spark would bring. Many packs had gone to war with Peter in an attempt to steal Stiles away, and over the years Peter had spilled more and more blood to keep Stiles by his side. He had thought, once, that he fought so hard for Stiles out of love. Now he saw that Peter only wanted Stiles to use him. Just like everyone else.

It was sad that one of the things Stiles liked about the Hale pack was their indifference to him. The less they tried to kiss his ass and coddle him, the more he felt like a true member of the pack. He even embraced Cora and Jackson’s open hostility.

Though he knew it wasn’t true, Stiles couldn’t shake the instinctive thought that the Sheriff only wanted to use him. But that didn’t make any sense. The Sheriff hadn’t even known about Stiles magic, and no one could lie to Stiles unless he permitted it. (Magic.)

Stiles curled up in a particularly plush and cushy patch of lover and went to sleep, his emotions and lack of sleep dragging him down into a warm, hazy slumber.

 

 

 

The thing about going to sleep in an alternate dimension, was that there were no alarm clocks. The magic was self-sustaining, and there was nothing to disturb him. The downside was, time moved differently in Stiles private little world. He never quite knew how much time would pass while he was hidden away. Sometimes he left for a few minutes and a week would pass in the outside world. Sometimes he would lose himself in the forest for days to find barely an hour had passed.

So when Stiles returned to the tree line outside the Hale house, he didn’t know what to expect.

It was dark. That was the first thing he noticed. The second, was that every light in the Hale house was blazing.

The third, was the sleeping form of his Alpha, propped against a tree barely a foot from where he had reappeared.

Wincing at the obvious worry that showed on the Alpha’s face, even in sleep, Stiles crouched in front of Derek and gently placed a hand on the wolf’s shoulder.

Derek’s eyes snapped open, sharpening on Stiles’ face, and glowing slightly in the darkness. Eyes widening, Derek shot to his feet, clamping a hand tightly (but carefully) around Stiles’ wrist. He dragged Stiles closer, hissing, “Where the hell were you?”

Startled, Stiles just gaped at him until the Alpha seized him by the shoulders and shook him.

“A WEEK, Stiles! You disappear right in front of me and don’t come back for a week. I thought you needed time. Fine! Take all the time you need. But you have a pack, now! You have responsibilities, and people who will worry if you disappear. I had no idea if you had gone off somewhere magical or if you had been kidnapped, or killed!” Derek ranted.

Stiles eyes widened. “Shit, a week?”

“Yes, a week, how the fuck long did you think you were gone for?” Derek demanded.

“I was only gone for about ten hours on my side.” Stiles whispered to the ground.

Derek frowned, reigning in his fury. “Explain.”

“I slipped into a different dimension, created by my magic.” Stiles said. “Time is a lot less structured there. It’s like a creek. Sometimes, it trickles, sometimes, it rages like rapids. I never know how much time will have passed when I return. If I had been thinking clearly, I never would have gone there. I’m sorry.”

Stiles drew away, refusing to meet his eyes. “I’m not fit to be a part of any pack. Maybe I should just go.” Stiles murmured, steeling himself for when Derek threw him from the pack. Derek had no interest in Stiles’ magic, so he had no reason to keep the boy around. He should have known his happiness wouldn’t last.

Derek eyed him for a moment before grumbling, “Are you stupid? You aren’t getting out of this that easily. Get your ass in there and explain to the pack what happened. They have been worried sick. I’ve managed to keep your disappearance from the Sheriff, but everyone else knew within hours that something was wrong.”

Derek grabbed Stiles and gently shoved him in the direction of the house, and Stiles couldn’t help the relieved smile that crossed his lips at he went up the stairs and greeted the pack in the entryway. He didn’t know why Derek wanted him around, but for now, he was willing to just accept things as they were

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated.


	5. Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unrepentant Fluff

A few days after Stiles’ minor freak-out (and after the Pack stopped guilting him over making them worry) Stiles finally worked up the nerve to go and visit the Sherriff, who had received the results of the DNA test, but refused to open them without Stiles present. Stiles was understandably nervous.

No one could really prepare themselves for the knowledge that the one person they loved and trusted most in this world had lied and betrayed them in the most heinous way possible. Stiles didn’t need to see a paper to know that John Stilinski was his father. It was there in the crinkles on his forehead and the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled. Not only that, but Stiles could sense it in the man’s soul. After Stiles had recovered from the shock of his father’s existence, it had taken but a moment to brush his magical awareness against the Sherriff’s aura and prove to himself that they were, indeed, father and son.

Most people Stiles had met that were involved in the magical aspects of the universe assumed that Stiles had inherited his magical affinity from Claudia. Her deep passion for her Polish roots and her love for all things natural and magical had fooled many a witch who had met the woman into such an incorrect assumption.

The truth, however, was that every ounce of Stiles’ nearly immense font of magical energy was inherited directly from his father. Normal, average, upstanding John Stilinski. In fact, were John ever struck with the slightest inclination to learn or wield magic, he could easily do so. Though, it would be to a much lesser degree than that of his son.

This meeting with Stiles father was not to prove to himself what he already knew. It was to comfort his father, who was terrified; both at the thought of finding he had had a son all along, and had missed the boy’s entire childhood; and at the thought of Stiles not being his child, and dealing with the loss and despair all over again.

So Stiles stood, uncomfortable but willing, as the Sherriff opened the papers, laughed in joy, and enveloped his son in a hug for the first time since his childhood. Though Stiles stood stiffly, halfheartedly returning the hug, he smiled to himself, feeling a new and stronger hope for his future.

 

 

 

Through all of the drama and confusion that had occurred with the revelation of his father’s existence, Stiles had nearly managed to forget the strange moment between him and his Alpha concerning Cora Hale, and her miraculous survival of the fire. Stiles had taken to surreptitiously scanning the girl’s aura any time they shared a room.

What Stiles found simultaneously relieved and unnerved him. Cora harbored absolutely no ill will toward anyone in the pack (even Stiles, though she tried to pretend she did) and that made a part of Stiles relax that he hadn’t know was stiff with worry. What frightened Stiles, though, was that Cora tasted of Peter in a deep seated magical way that no werewolf, even Cora herself, would be able to detect. It wasn’t just that she had been resurrected as Peter had, though that was part of it. It was as if Peter himself had marked her in some irrevocable and soul deep way.

Knowing that Cora was sensitive about her life before rejoining the Hale pack, Stiles approached her cautiously with his questions. After several minutes of steering casual conversation toward his area of interest, Stiles asked, “Sooo… Have you seen Peter? You know. Since?”

Cora stared at him for a minute, giving him the patented Hale Eyebrows. “I don’t remember much about my life before returning to Beacon Hills. So I couldn’t say for sure.”

Stiles could tell that her lack of solid information about her own life disturbed her. He could relate.

“I know I was in South America for a while.” Cora laughed without humor. “I remember vague impressions of faces. Places. And I speak perfectly fluent Spanish, which is new.” She finishes wryly.

“I…. could help.” Stiles offers timidly.

Cora shoots him a sharp look and says, “What.”

“Only if you want.” Stiles reassures her. “I could help you get your memories back. Or at the very least, look and see what happened, whether you remember it subconsciously or not.”

“I don’t like the idea of anyone digging around in my head.” She rejected shaking her head.

Stiles pressed a little. “I wouldn’t have to. Not really. This is entirely up to you, and if you decide you don’t want to know, then it’s your decision, but I can delve into the magical aura that surrounds any mystical being and see what the ether of the universe has recorded. I know hate not knowing what happened to you. And if you decide that what you find is private, then I won’t tell another soul. I trust you. I just think it would help you find a little peace.”

Stiles knew that she would never harm anyone who didn’t first threaten her or her pack. That was all he really needed. The rest was just details. He didn’t care if she had sold her soul to Satan himself. She was pack.

Cora was silent for a long while before she said, “I’ll think about it.”

Stiles nodded, respecting her decision, and left the house deciding to roam the woods for a while and see if he could find a good place on this plane to meditate. He didn’t want any repeats of his week-long sabbatical.

 

 

 

Stiles isn’t sure what drew him to the Nemeton. There wasn’t a single ounce of magical energy left in the stump of what was once a beautiful, thriving tree. Stiles thought that perhaps it was a strange sense of kinship he felt with such a rare magical entity. The Nemeton was neither good nor evil. It was simply a pure and natural manifestation of magic. Much like Stiles, the tree was a product of a very rare set of coincidences. A magical being that the rest of the world seemed to assume should be controlled.

Stiles had been ripped away from his only remaining family at such a young age that he had hardly any true memories of his parents. He had been spirited away by a man who saw Stiles’ magical potential as a weapon to be utilized. Like the Nemeton, Stiles was neither good, nor evil. He used his magic to protect himself and those around him, not striving to affect the balance in any way. The Nemeton was very similar in this way. It was a tool. A plentiful source of magic that the magical beings in and around Beacon Hills saw as a means to an end. The tree did not care that its magic was used by the Darach to end countless lives. Much like an atom does not care that its split causes untold destruction. The tree cared not that its continued life fed the lifeforce of a nogitsune and indirectly aided the dark creature in its body snatching havoc.

The tree only sought to live. Even as those who sought to steal its power tainted its once pure aura into something that called out to the most twisted of mystical beings like a Beacon of miasmic intent, the tree struggled to thrive. One does not blame the gun when a man is shot. The Nemeton is a tool. Sometimes, it’s a weapon.

Stiles refused to be a weapon.

Perhaps the flattened remains of what was once a beautiful and pure magical phenomenon served as both a source of comfort, and a warning. Stiles set it as an example of what he could become. What he never wanted to become.

Stiles was, however, minutely different from the tree in that he had control of his destiny. Unlike the Nemeton, Stiles was not forced to sit idly by and watch himself become a tool to be used by others. He had power over his destiny. He and a voice, an opinion, and he used it. Loudly and often.

It was strange to Stiles that he derived so much comfort from the tree, but he didn’t think twice about using it as an anchor of sorts, and besides, it was a comfy place to sit while he meditated.

 

 

 

Stiles was pulled out of his deep thoughts by the sensation of being watched.

He opened his eyes and cast his eyes about, searching for the pack member that he knew was nearby. It was Malia. But is wasn’t. A coyote stared out at him from the tree line. Huh. Well that explained a few things.

The strange thing was, however, that Stiles had seen this coyote before. It used to live in a hollow tree just inside the territory lines for Peter’s pack house. Stiles had first stumbles across it after finding the wreckage of an old car crash. The coyote had been aware of his presence but kept its distance. He had brought it food for a while. And some blankets once winter came.

He had known at the time that it had not been a normal coyote, but had decided to mind his own business. Still, he had been strangely saddened when the creature had disappeared one day never to return.

“How did it happen?” Stiles asked.

Malia cocked her head before slinking deeper into the (now dark) woods. She returned a moment later in a pair of ripped jeans and an oversized tshirt.

“What?” she asked.

“Any of it. All of it.” Stiles replied, puzzled and fascinated.

“I killed my family. Changed for the first time in the car. The car crashed. They died. I didn’t.” Malia said without emotion.

“And that’s why you stayed?” Stiles asked. “Because you thing it was your fault?”

“Wasn’t it?” She says dispassionately. “Had I not been there. Been… what I am. They never would have died.”

“You were a child. You didn’t know what you were. You couldn’t have done anything if you HAD known.” Stiles said fervently.

She looked away, clearly disagreeing but unwilling to contradict him.

“You saved me, you know.” She murmured, so low he almost missed it.

“I did? How?” Stiles asked, puzzled.

“You brought me blankets. Food.” Malia said. “You surrounded me in your scent. The scent of pack. It made me remember. I didn’t want to remember, but I needed to. It was…. Good.”

Malia was quiet for a moment before she said, “It took me weeks to become fully human. Longer to leave the woods, to seek out the pack that I knew was waiting for me. Derek was a different man back then. Angrier. Lost. It took a long time to convince him that he even deserved a pack.

We rebuilt the Hale house. The Hale Pack came later. Derek had turned some kids in order to survive. Not all of them made it. They are… missed. Isaac was there to help when a rogue alpha turned Scott. It helped. He took the loss of Erica and Boyd hard. Almost as hard as Derek.

He blamed himself. Always has. For a lot of things. He regrets turning Jackson. Not because he was an evil lizard for a while, but because Jackson resents him for it. Jackson asked for the bite. Begged for it, but he didn’t know what it meant to be pack. It’s better now. With Lydia keeping him anchored. Liam was another hard blow for Derek. There was a psycho murderer that went around killing anything with even a hint of magic in its blood. There was a list and a Benefactor. That’s a long story. Sufficed to say, he turned Liam, and the kid couldn’t take the pressure, the constant fight for survival. Once the smoke cleared, the kid booked it. Left town and never looked back.

Ethan had a twin once. He died when the nogitsune was carving a bloody swathe through the town. We never did figure out where the hell that damn fox went.”

“Um… Guilty?” Stiles interrupted, reluctant to cut off the flow of information that he had been starving for for weeks.

She cocked a brow at him, confused.

“I was possessed by the nogitsune to, for a while. It took a few days, but once I realized it was there and my magic registered it as a threat it only took hours to kill the twisted creature. I almost felt bad for it, afterwards.” Stiles murmured.

“You KILLED it?” Malia gasped. “Huh.”

“Anyway. His twin Aiden died, along with Scott’s girlfriend Allison. The Nogitsune was controlling some Oni. We managed to take all of them down. That’s when the Nogitsune ran. That was… a bad time. For everyone.” Malia continued.

“Ethan almost left, just to escape the memory of what he lost. He stayed for Danny. We are a fucked up bunch, Stiles, but you seem to have more than your fair share of baggage. I think you will fit right in.” Malia said. “Besides, Someone needs to get in Derek’s pants.” She winks saucily before flitting off into the darkness.

Stiles blushes a deep crimson and curses at her retreating back. But he can’t help the warm feeling of acceptance that blooms in his chest.


	6. Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short, but more fluffiness... sort of :/

Stiles stood in front of the meager collection of clothes in his closet. He was getting ready for dinner with his father. Dinner.

With his father.

 

It shocked Stiles sometimes, how much his life had changed is so little time. It was empowering, being with the Hales. Stiles had always known how powerful he was, but something about the way Peter dismissed his magical ability made it hard for him to really comprehend the sheer power that he could wield.

_Several weeks after Stiles began teaching himself magic, he rushed into Peter’s study, baby cheeks aglow and his buzzed hair poking out at strange angles from sleeping at his desk. “Peter! Look what I can do!” Stiles had gushed, as Peter looked up from his laptop._

_Stiles presented him with a rubber bouncy ball, and Peter had raised an eyebrow at the interruption. “It’s a ball.”_

_“Yeah, but look what I can make it do!” Stiles had bounced closer to Peter’s desk and cupped the ball, hidden between his hands. Separating his hands with a flourish, Stiles grinned up at Peter with an expectant look._

_“It’s gone. Fascinating.” Peter had deadpanned._

_“Open your desk drawer.” Stiles had said, almost squirming with excitement._

_Peter had, not nearly as impressed with Stiles’ magic as the boy had been expecting._

_“I made it teleport.” Stiles had explained, just in case the significance had been lost on his alpha._

_“Yes.” Peter said. “Have you finished your homework?”_

_Stiles blushed and averted his eyes._

_“I thought not.” Peter said. “Perhaps you should put this little hobby to the side until you have taken care of your prior obligations.”_

_From that day on, Stiles had made sure that every obligation had been taken care of before practicing his magic, and when the day came that Stiles successfully teleported an Escalade to the opposite side of Peter’s 50 acre property, he kept it to himself._

_Nearly a year before Stiles left the Deacon pack, Peter provoked a rival pack. The Hemsworth pack was and old one with Scandinavian roots. Stiles never learned what peter had done to the rather large, blonde alpha, but when they snuck into Peter’s mansion in the dead of night, setting of Stiles wards left and right and broadcasting their anger into the ether like a red fog, Stiles was left with little choice._

_After teleporting with the three wolves back to the Hemsworth pack house, Stiles confronted the alpha. Either the pack left Stiles and those he loved alone, or they would disappear and Stiles would continue as if nothing had happened._

_Needless to say, the werewolves had scoffed at the scrawny boy and told him in great detail what they planned to do to both him and those he loved. Stiles had been left with no choice._

_While every member of the Hemsworth pack looked on in shock and horror, Stiles had placed a gentle and very reluctant hand to the alphas face and plunged deep into his mind. Slipping past the man’s human façade, Stiles reached for the deepest part of him. The animal part. Cupping that wild flame of natural magic in his hands Stiles had whispered words that he had barely understood at the time. It was a spell the boy had never thought to use._

_He didn’t understand for a very long time exactly what he had done to the twenty-three members of the Hemsworth pack, but every night afterward he woke up crying, for deep inside him, where his spark lived, he knew that he had done something awful to protect those he loved. And the worst part, was that he would have done it again without regret._

_Stiles had completely eradicated all trace of every single one of those twenty-three people. As far as society knew, the people who comprised the Hemsworth pack had never existed. Stiles had erased every trace of their human souls from the universe, leaving only the wolves behind. The people that they had been were gone forever._

_A few weeks later Stiles had seen a short news article about a pack of wolves that had mysteriously taken up residence in the woods in California which hadn’t had wolves in nearly sixty years. The only ones who remembered they even existed were the Deacon pack, but Peter had never questioned their mysterious disappearance. Only once had Stiles caught Peter looking troubled after their disappearance._

_Needless to say, Stiles would do anything to protect those he loves. It had always puzzled him when he was younger that his alpha was so dismissive of his abilities. Now that he was older, however, Stiles was strangely grateful that the enigmatic man had never taken an interest in his abilities. Stiles felt Peter would have not thought twice about ‘utilizing’ Stiles had he known the true scope of the boy’s power._

A knock on the door shocked Stiles out of his deep thoughts.

“Stiles?” Derek poked his head in the door.

“Yeah?” He answered, voice rough with emotion.

Derek gave him a searching look, before seemingly deciding to say nothing about Stiles obvious emotional turmoil.

“The Sherriff is coming up the drive. Are you ready?” He said.

Stiles looked around the room, taking a quick moment to compose himself.

“Yeah, I think so.” Stiles replied, not entirely sure it was the truth.

 

The drive back to the Stilinski homestead was not a quiet one. Stiles, trying valiantly to turn his thoughts away from the past, rambled on about any topic that crossed his mind. The Sherriff didn’t mind, seeming content to listen. He had little reason to interrupt after having been without the sound of his son’s laughter or nervous chatter for so many years.

The Sherriff had cooked a hearty meal of Steak and fries, with beans on the side. Stiles gobbled down the delicious meal, but frowned at the thought of how unhealthy it was. Red meat and greasy fries were hard on one’s system, and Stiles wanted his father to be as healthy as possible. The worst thing that could happen would be to lose the man after being deprived of him for such a long time.

As if sensing the somber turn his son’s thoughts had taken, the Sherriff brought up a subject that would take both of their minds off of their long separation. The Hale Pack.

“So, I hear that your first day as a member of Derek’s pack was rather… eventfull.” The Sherriff started.

Stiles groaned, thunking his head down on the tabletop. “Tell me about it.” Stiles mumbled from under his arms. “Leave it to me to be adopted by the one werewolf pack in the tristate are that has the most reason to hate my former alpha. What kind of luck is that?”

The Sherriff chuckled. “Derek sure seemed eager to get you back though,” He said arching an eyebrow.

Stiles blushed and quickly changed the subject.

“So, is there any way I could enroll in high school?”

Surprised, the Sherriff asked, “Isn’t your old high school in Beacon Hills?”

Stiles shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. “Well, no.” He scratched the back of his head. “Peter wouldn’t let me attend public school. He thought I would betray our secret to the ‘clueless humans’.”

The Sherriff scoffed to hide the pity in his eyes. “You would be a junior, right?”

Stiles shook his head and blushed again. “I’ve basically been teaching myself for years, but I go at a slightly faster pace than average. I tested out of the eighth grade, so I’d be a senior.”

Pride shone from the Sherriff’s eyes now as he clapped his son on the shoulder. “Public school it is, then.”

They finished their meal in contented silence, and Stiles insisted on doing dishes, since the Sherriff had cooked. The man rolled his eyes as his son casually mentioned how he should be eating healthier, but overall it was a great night.

Later, when Stiles was alone, he let a few tears slip free, mourning the childhood that he had lost. But even his sorrow over missed opportunities wasn’t enough to dim the warmth of family and pack that was pulsing in his chest.


	7. note

no this isn't a chapter. Sorry to get your hopes up. It has recently (and not so recently) been brought to my attention that this story has some major plot holes and inconsistency issues, so I'm going through and tweaking it while I decide what I want to do with this story. I honestly have no idea where I was planning to go with this when I started it, and I think that is one of my biggest problems with this work. I have already done the first two chapters, and the others are soon to follow. This will hopefully be closely followed with an update. (A real one I promise!) So thanks to everyone who has put forth suggestions and pointed out my glaringly obvious mistakes.

I hope to see you guys here soon with the newest chapter.

Yours,

Supie


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